that would be quite a change from the present arrangement, wouldn’t it?” 

 Mr. Cord had a narrow escape from laughing out loud, which would have cost him the friendship of the man with whom on the whole he really agreed. He thought it was time to interfere. 

 “This is very interesting, Mr. Moreton,” he said, “but I fancy it wasn’t about the general radical propaganda that you came to see me.” 

 “No,” said Ben, turning slowly. He felt as a dog feels who is dragged out of the fight just as it begins to get exciting. “No, I came to see you about this unfortunate engagement of my brother’s.” 

 “Unfortunate?” asked Mr. Cord, without criticism. 

 “I should consider it so, and I understand you do, too.” 

 Cord did not move an eyelash; this was an absolutely new form of attack. It had certainly never crossed his mind that any objection could come from the Moreton family. 

 “You consider it unfortunate?” said Eddie, as if it would be mere insolence on Ben’s part to object to his brother’s marrying anyone. 

 “Will you give me your reasons for objecting?” said Cord. 

 Ben smiled. “You ought to understand them,” he said, “for I imagine they’re pretty much the same as your own. I mean they are both founded on class consciousness. I feel that it will be destructive to the things I value most in David to be dependent on, or associated with, the capitalistic group. Just as you feel it will be destructive to your daughter to be married to a tutor—a fellow with radical views and a seditious brother—” 

 “One moment, one moment,” said Cord; “you’ve got this all wrong so far as I’m concerned. I do most emphatically disagree with the radical propaganda. I think the radical is usually just a man who hasn’t got something he wants.” 

 “And the conservative is a man who wants to keep something he’s got,” said Ben, less hostilely than he had spoken to Eddie. 

 “Exactly, exactly,” said Cord. “In ideality there isn’t much to choose between them, but, generally speaking, I have more respect for the man who has succeeded in getting something to preserve than for the man who hasn’t got anything to lose.” 

 “If their opportunities were equal.” 

 Prev. P 26/53 next