She was gone.




CHAPTER XXXIII

HILARY DEALS WITH THE SITUATION

To understand the conduct of Hilary and Bianca at what "Westminister"
would have called this "crisax," not only their feelings as sentient
human beings, but their matrimonial philosophy, must be taken into
account. By education and environment they belonged to a section of
society which had "in those days" abandoned the more old-fashioned
views of marriage. Such as composed this section, finding themselves
in opposition, not only to the orthodox proprietary creed, but even to
their own legal rights, had been driven to an attitude of almost blatant
freedom. Like all folk in opposition, they were bound, as a simple
matter of principle, to disagree with those in power, to view with a
contemptuous resentment that majority which said, "I believe the thing
is mine, and mine it shall remain"--a majority which by force of
numbers made this creed the law. Unable legally to, be other than the
proprietors of wife or husband, as the case might be, they were
obliged, even in the most happy unions, to be very careful not to become
disgusted with their own position. Their legal status was, as it were,
a goad, spurring them on to show their horror of it. They were like
children sent to school with trousers that barely reached their knees,
aware that they could neither reduce their stature to the proportions
of their breeches nor make their breeches grow. They were furnishing an
instance of that immemorial "change of form to form" to which Mr. Stone