ed comes to play
an important part in English life it will not be the fault of the
aristocracy. I doubt whether any labourer would sacrifice his evening's
leisure to encourage a movement for the good of Lady Kingscourt. Nor
would the kindliest Socialist speak of women of the upper classes as
"deserving dear things." The nicest term used by progressive people to
describe these ladies is "parasites," and they often, as we had just
been learning, call them worse names than that.

Lady Kingscourt and her party represented the highest layer of
fashionable life. I had, besides her, a large number of women of
slightly dimmer glory who were yet quite as finely dressed as Lady
Kings-court, and were, I am sure, equally eager for the good of the
masses. My hall, not a very large one, was well filled before nine
o'clock. I had every reason to congratulate myself on the success of my
party, so far. It remained to be seen whether Gorman would make a good
speech and whether Tim's ghosts would exhibit themselves satisfactorily.
Between the speech and the ghosts my guests would have an opportunity
of drinking tea and champagne cup, handed round by twelve nice looking
girls wearing black and white dresses, hired out to me (both the girls
and the dresses) for the evening by the firm which had undertaken to
manage the refreshments.

According to my time table Gorman ought to have begun his speech at nine
o'clock. Instead of doing so he came to me and whispered that he would
give late comers ten minutes law.

"Nothing more unpleasant for an audience," he said, "than having their
toes trodden on by people who come in late, just as they are beginning
to get interested in what is going on."

Nothing, I imagine, is more unpleasant for a speaker than to have his
audience looking round to see who the newcomers are, just as he is
beginning to warm to his subject. I gathered from his anxiety about the
audience, that Gorman intended to make a great effort. I looked forward
to his speech. Gorman, at his best, is really a very fine speaker.

At ten minutes past nine Gorman mounted the platform, the narrow
strip of platform left for him in front of the pits occupied by Tim's
apparatus. The clatter of general conversation ceased, and the Cabinet
Ministers, sitting in the front row with Ascher, clapped their hands.
The rest of the audience, realising that applause was desirable, also
clapped their hands. Gorman bowed and smiled.

Then my elbow was