mildly,
"that if all property were divided to-morrow the force of natural
inequality would not have undone all the work the day after, and given
us back our poor?"

The "newspaper cant" of this remark, as the Cravens would have put it,
brought a contemptuous look for an instant into the girl's face. She
began to talk eagerly and cleverly, showing a very fair training in the
catch words of the school, and a good memory--as one uncomfortable
person at the table soon perceived--for some of the leading arguments
and illustrations of a book of Venturist Essays which had lately been
much read and talked of in London.

Then, irritated more and more by Lord Maxwell's gentle attention, and
the interjections he threw in from time to time, she plunged into
history, attacked the landowning class, spoke of the Statute of
Labourers, the Law of Settlement, the New Poor Law, and other great
matters, all in the same quick flow of glancing, picturesque speech, and
all with the same utter oblivion--so it seemed to her stiff indignant
hostess at the other end of the table--of the manners and modesty proper
to a young girl in a strange house, and that young girl Richard Boyce's
daughter!

Aldous struck in now and then, trying to soothe her by supporting her to
a certain extent, and so divert the conversation. But Marcella was soon
too excited to be managed; and she had her say; a very strong say often
as far as language went: there could be no doubt of that.

"Ah, well," said Lord Maxwell, wincing at last under some of her
phrases, in spite of his courteous _savoir-faire_, "I see you are of the
same opinion as a good man whose book I took up yesterday: 'The
landlords of England have always shown a mean and malignant passion for
profiting by the miseries of others?' Well, Aldous, my boy, we are
judged, you and I--no help for it!"

The man whose temper and rule had made the prosperity of a whole country
side for nearly forty years, looked at his grandson with twinkling eyes.
Miss Raeburn was speechless. Lady Winterbourne was absently staring at
Marcella, a spot of red on each pale cheek.

Then Marcella suddenly wavered, looked across at Aldous, and broke down.

"Of course, you think me very ridiculous," she said, with a tremulous
change of tone. "I suppose I am. And I am as inconsistent as anybody--I
hate myself for it. Very often when anybody talks to me on the other
side, I am almost as much persuaded as I am by the Socialists: they