mes turned white. "It's rather early to think of that just yet."

"We spoke of June," said his mother.

"We must see."

"You've waited so long," said Colonel Parsons; "I'm sure you don't want
to wait any longer."

"She _will_ make you a good wife, Jamie. You are lucky to have found
such a dear, sweet girl. It's a blessing to us to think that you will be
so happy."

"As I was saying to Mary the other day," added Colonel Parsons, laughing
gently, "'you must begin thinking of your trousseau, my dear,' I said,
'If I know anything of Jamie, he'll want to get married in a week. These
young fellows are always impatient.'"

Mrs Parsons smiled.

"Well, it's a great secret, and Mary would be dreadfully annoyed if she
thought you knew; but when we heard you were coming home, she started
to order things. Her father has given her a hundred pounds to begin
with."

They had no mercy, thought James. They were horribly cruel in their
loving-kindness, in their affectionate interest for his welfare.

VI

James had been away from England for five years; and in that time a
curious change, long silently proceeding, had made itself openly
felt--becoming manifest, like an insidious disease, only when every limb
and every organ were infected. A new spirit had been in action, eating
into the foundations of the national character; it worked through the
masses of the great cities, unnerved by the three poisons of drink, the
Salvation Army, and popular journalism. A mighty force of hysteria and
sensationalism was created, seething, ready to burst its bonds ... The
canker spread through the country-side; the boundaries of class and
class are now so vague that quickly the whole population was affected;
the current literature of the day flourished upon it; the people of
England, neurotic from the stress of the last sixty years, became
unstable as water. And with the petty reverses of the beginning of the
war, the last barriers of shame were broken down; their arrogance was
dissipated, and suddenly the English became timorous as a conquered
nation, deprecating, apologetic; like frightened women, they ran to and
fro, wringing their hands. Reserve, restraint, self-possession, were
swept away ... And now we are frankly emotional; reeds tottering in the
wind, our boast is that we are not even reeds that think; we cry out for
idols. Who is there that will set up a golden ass that we may fall down
and worship? We glory in our shame, in o