Harriet, however, said nothing for two days. There
was a calm, easy tone in the voice,slightly fat, very agreeable. Theyll stand
anything whentheyve got a mate, he went on again after a while.
I should try to teach my people what it is truly to
be aMAN, and a woman.
What about the mistrust and reluctancy he felt?
Then Kangaroo looked with a teasing little smile at Somers.
I knew you would, he said, in moved tones. How do
you like Australia, and its national animal, thekangaroo? But that isnt the same as
beingdisinterested, for all that. But law more human,and authority much
wiser.
But even that is a new feeling, he persisted.
White, said Somers, oblivious of the poised Chinaman. But underneath lurked
thischagrin of his wanting to go away from her, for his activity.
Only next morning when the Callcotts had gone she
said toLovat:What were you and Mr. As soon as he could hewould tell her about it: as
much as it was necessary for her to know.
Well, he said, Id rather die in a forlorn hope than
drag my days outin a forlorn mope.
Ive had a long talk with Kangaroo about you to-day,
he said.
Pity it spreads over so much ground, said
Somers.
He had only to givehimself, give himself up to it
and to the men.
It is a knot that can never be untied; it can only,
like a navelstring, be broken or cut. All his life he had secretly grieved over
hisfriendlessness. Malignant resistance to the life principle. Ithink if a man is
truly a man, true to his own being, his soul savesitself in that way. And the steady
loveliness ofthis mans warm, wise heart was too much for him. For his own private
life, he found his dreamswere like devils. Somers wished it had had even a
moustache,anything rather than this clean, all-clean bare flesh. Prop us up on a
dozen stumps, and were cosy, said Jack. They must more or less look after them
themselves.
These politicians absolutely get my wind up,
runningthe country. And that you can only do by exerting strong, just POWER
fromabove.