Mr. Ely's Engagement
Copyright© 2024 by Richard Marsh
Chapter 16: Thunder in the Air
There was silence in the room--an awkward silence. For some moments nobody seemed to think that there was anything left to say. It was noticeable that neither of the trio seemed to care to look the other in the face. Mr. Ely stood with his hands thrust to the extremest depths of his trouser pockets, staring moodily, not to say savagely, at the window through which Miss Truscott had disappeared. Mr. Ash stroked his chin with something of an embarrassed air--he did not seem to know where to rest his eyes. From the expression of her countenance, and from her bearing altogether, Mrs. Clive seemed to have had the faculty of speech knocked out of her.
As perhaps was natural, Mr. Ely was the first who found his tongue. He pointed his words by looking at Mrs. Clive out of the corners of his eyes.
“That’s a nice way in which to bring up a girl!”
His tone was distinctly venomous. Mr. Ash continued to stroke his chin.
“It does seem,” he hazarded, in a sort of deprecatory undertone, “it does seem as though she had imbibed some curious ideas.”
“That’s the sort of girl to do anybody credit.”
“I confess,” said Mr. Ash with a little cough, as though he wished to apologise for his confession, “I confess that I am surprised.”
Mrs. Clive, blissfully unconscious that it could enter into anybody’s philosophy to think of attacking her, remained sublimely statuesque.
“I say, without the slightest hesitation, that the person who is responsible for the education of that young woman has committed a crime against society.”
Mr. Ely turned on Mrs. Clive with something that was very like a snarl. The old lady started. For the first time it seemed to occur to her that the words were spoken with intention. Mr. Ash, who was still engaged upon his chin, did not appear to be able to go quite as far as his friend.
“That--eh--is perhaps a strongish thing to say--hardly crime--but it really does appear that blame rests somewhere--it really does.”
But Mr. Ely was not to be gainsayed. No toning down of truths for him!
“I said, and I say again, that the person who is responsible for the bringing up of that young woman has committed a crime against society.” He turned so that he looked Mrs. Clive straight in the face. “A girl is entrusted to her aunt to receive her education. If that aunt betrays her trust--miseducates the child!--then I challenge contradiction when I say that that aunt pulls away one of the props, the absence of whose support threatens to undermine the very fabric of society.”
“Eh--there is--eh--of course one must admit that there is a certain substratum of truth in that.”
“Is it possible”--smoothing the front of her dress with her two hands, it was evident that Mrs. Clive was awaking to the nature of the outrageous attack of which she was being made the victim--”is it possible that these remarks are directed against me?”
Thrusting his thumbs into his waistcoat armholes, Mr. Ely began to stride about the room.
“Oh, it’s easy to throw about oneself the cloak of womanhood, and to claim that the privilege of sex exonerates from blame, but I should like to know, if this is to be the fate of the coming generation of young women, what will our future mothers be?”
Imitating Mr. Ely, Mr. Ash also thrust his thumbs into his waistcoat armholes.
“Just so! What will our future mothers be?”
“Our future mothers! Am I not a mother, then?”
But neither of the gentlemen paid the slightest attention to Mrs. Clive.
“It is not a question of our mothers only, it is a question of our fathers, too!”
“That is so. There can be no doubt that the maternal and paternal questions are closely intertwined.”
“I never thought”--Mrs. Clive produced her handkerchief--”I never thought that I should have lived to see this day!”
Mrs. Clive began to cry; but neither of the gentlemen seemed at all abashed. They had a duty to perform, and evidently meant to carry it through.
“‘Our acts our judges are, for good or ill.
Fatal shadows--which march by us still!’”
It was such an unusual thing for Mr. Ely to essay quotation that it was not surprising if the poet’s words got slightly mangled in production. “The thing you do is like the seed you sow, it grows and grows until it assumes gigantic proportions, and blights your life and the lives of all whose paths you cross. You cannot get away from that!”
“You certainly cannot get away from that! That is well put--very well put, indeed!”
But Mrs. Clive was not to be trampled upon in silence. She turned on Mr. Ely with undaunted mien.
“May I ask, Mr. Ely, for an explanation of the language which you use?”
“Your niece, ma’am, is sufficient explanation. You say that what she is she owes to you. I presume her singular notions of morality among the rest!”
“Ahem!” Mr. Ash contented himself with clearing his throat.
“Mr. Ely, I am as much surprised at my niece’s behaviour as you can possibly be.”
“Surprised, madam! Why are you surprised? You say that you have handed on to her the precepts which you yourself imbibed at your mother’s knee!”
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