"
"What was that?"
"Why you promised me that your--your--love--No! I won't misuse that
word--Your friendship for me should not spoil your life, your
career, or make Linda unhappy. Yet it is doing all three. You've
lived in a continual agitation since you got into Parliament, and
now you'll be involved in more electioneering in order to be
returned once more. Meantime your science has come to a dead stop.
And it's so far more important for us than getting the Vote. All
this franchise agitation is on a much lower plane. It amuses and
interests me. It keeps me from thinking too much about you.
Besides, I am naturally rather combative; I secretly enjoy these
rough-and-tumbles with constituted authority. I also really _do_
think it is a _beastly_ shame, this preference shown for man, in
most of the careers and in the franchise. But don't you worry
_yourself_ unduly about it. If I really thought that you cared so
much about me that it was turning you away from _our_ religion,
scientific research, I'd go over to Brussels to my mother and stay
there. I really would; and I really will if you don't stop following
me about from meeting to meeting and going mad over the Suffrage
question in the House. Is it true that you struck a Cabinet minister
the other day? Mr. ----?"
_Rossiter_: "Yes, it's true, and he asked for it. If I am
unreasonable what are _they_? ----, ----, _and_ ----? Why have they
such a bitter feeling against your sex? Have they had no mothers, no
sweethearts, no sisters, no wives? If I'd never met you I should
still have been a Suffragist.
Pages:
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272