their day's toil, hastening homeward to their play, or to their evening
tasks. A little humour, a little understanding, a recognition of the
wonderful likeness of us all to one another underneath our outward
coverings was all that was needed to break down the barrier, establish
comradeship. She stood aside a moment to watch them streaming by. Keen,
strong faces were among them, high, thoughtful brows, kind eyes; they
must learn to think, to speak for themselves.

She would build again the Forum. The people's business should no longer
be settled for them behind lackey-guarded doors. The good of the farm
labourer should be determined not exclusively by the squire and his
relations. The man with the hoe, the man with the bent back and the
patient ox-like eyes: he, too, should be invited to the Council board.
Middle-class domestic problems should be solved not solely by fine
gentlemen from Oxford; the wife of the little clerk should be allowed her
say. War or peace, it should no longer be regarded as a question
concerning only the aged rich. The common people--the cannon fodder, the
men who would die, and the women who would weep: they should be given
something more than the privilege of either cheering platform patriots or
being summoned for interrupting public meetings.

From a dismal side street there darted past her a small, shapeless figure
in crumpled cap and apron: evidently a member of that lazy, over-indulged
class, the domestic servant. Judging from the talk of the drawing-rooms,
the correspondence in the papers, a singularly unsatisfactory body. They
toiled not, lived in luxury and demanded grand pianos. Someone had
proposed doing something for them. They themselves--it seemed that even
they had a sort of conscience--were up in arms against it. Too much
kindness even they themselves perceived was bad for them. They were
holding a meeting that night to explain how contented they were. Six
peeresses had consented to attend, and speak for them.

Likely enough that there were good-for-nothing, cockered menials imposing
upon incompetent mistresses. There were pampered slaves in Rome. But
these others. These poor little helpless sluts. There were thousands
such in every city, over-worked and under-fed, living lonely,
pleasureless lives. They must be taught to speak in other voices than
the dulcet tones of peeresses. By the light of the guttering candles,
from their chill attics, they should write