ENDEAVOURS TO INTERN A GERMAN
Aglow with satisfaction at what he had been able to do for the wounded soldiers, Mr.Lavender sat down in his study to drink the tea which he found there."There is nothing in life," he thought, "which gives one such satisfaction as friendliness and being able to do something for others.Moon-cat!"The moon-cat, who, since Mr.Lavender had given her milk, abode in his castle, awaiting her confinement, purred loudly, regarding him with burning eyes, as was her fashion when she wanted milk, Mr.Lavender put down the saucer and continued his meditations."Everything is vain; the world is full of ghosts and shadows; but in friendliness and the purring of a little cat there is solidity.""A lady has called, sir."
Looking up, Mr.Lavender became aware of Mrs.Petty.
"How very agreeable!
"I don't know, sir," returned his housekeeper in her decisive voice; "but she wants to see you.Name of Pullbody.""Pullbody," repeated Mr.Lavender dreamily; "I don't seem---- Ask her in, Mrs.Petty, ask her in.""It's on your head, sir," said Mrs.Petty, and went out.
Mr.Lavender was immediately conscious of a presence in dark green silk, with a long upper lip, a loose lower lip, and a fixed and faintly raddled air, moving stealthily towards him.
"Sit down, madam, I beg.Will you have some tea?"The lady sat down."Thank you, I have had tea.It was on the recommendation of your next-door neighbour, Miss Isabel Scarlet----""Indeed," replied Mr.Lavender, whose heart began to beat; "command me, for I am entirely at her service.""I have come to see you," began the lady with a peculiar sinuous smile, "as a public man and a patriot."Mr.Lavender bowed, and the lady went on: I am in very great trouble.
The fact is, my sister's husband's sister is married to a German.""Is it possible, madam?" murmured Mr.Lavender, crossing his knees, and joining the tips of his fingers.
"Yes," resumed the lady, "and what's more, he is still at large."Mr.Lavender, into whose mind there had instantly rushed a flood of public utterances, stood gazing at her haggard face in silent sympathy.
"You may imagine my distress, sir, and the condition of my conscience,"pursued the lady, "when I tell you that my sister's husband's sister is a very old friend of mine--and, indeed, so was this German.The two are a very attached young couple, and, being childless, are quite wrapped up in each other.I have come to you, feeling it my duty to secure his internment."Mr.Lavender, moved by the human element in her words, was about to say, "But why, madam?" when the lady continued:
"I have not myself precisely heard him speak well of his country.But the sister of a friend of mine who was having tea in their house distinctly heard him say that there were two sides to every question, and that he could not believe all that was said in the English papers.
"Dear me!" said Mr.Lavender, troubled; "that is serious.""Yes," went on the lady; "and on another occasion my sister's husband himself heard him remark that a man could not help loving his country and hoping that it would win.""But that is natural," began Mr.Lavender.
"What!" said the lady, nearly rising, "when that country is Germany?"The word revived Mr.Lavender's sense of proportion.
"True," he said, "true.I was forgetting for the moment.It is extraordinary how irresponsible one's thoughts are sometimes.Have you reason to suppose that he is dangerous?""I should have thought that what I have said might have convinced you,"replied the lady reproachfully; "but I don't wish you to act without satisfying yourself.It is not as if you knew him, of course.I have easily been able to get up an agitation among his friends, but I should not expect an outsider--so I thought if I gave you his address you could form your own opinion.""Yes," murmured Mr.Lavender, "yes.It is in the last degree undesirable that any man of German origin should remain free to work possible harm to our country.There is no question in this of hatred or of mere rabid patriotism," he went on, in a voice growing more and more far-away; it is largely the A.B.C.of common prudence.""I ought to say," interrupted his visitor, "that we all thought him, of course, an honourable man until this war, or we should not have been his friends.He is a dentist," she added, "and, I suppose, may be said to be doing useful work, which makes it difficult.I suggest that you go to him to have a tooth out."Mr.Lavender quivered, and insensibly felt his teeth.
"Thank you," he said I will see if I can find one.It is certainly a matter which cannot be left to chance.We public men, madam, often have to do very hard and even inhumane things for no apparent reason.Our consciences alone support us.An impression, I am told, sometimes gets abroad that we yield to clamour.Those alone who know us realize how unfounded that aspersion is.""This is his address," said the lady, rising, and handing him an envelope."I shall not feel at rest until he is safely interned.You will not mention my name, of course.It is tragic to be obliged to work against one's friends in the dark.Your young neighbour spoke in enthusiastic terms of your zeal, and I am sure that in choosing you for my public man she was not pulling--er--was not making a mistake."Mr.Lavender bowed.
"I hope not, madam, he said humbly I try to do my duty."The lady smiled her sinuous smile and moved towards the door, leaving on the air a faint odour of vinegar and sandalwood.
When she was gone Mr.Lavender sat down on the edge of his chair before the tea-tray and extracted his teeth while Blink, taking them for a bone, gazed at them lustrously, and the moon-cat between his feet purred from repletion."There is reason in all things," he thought, running his finger over what was left in his mouth, "but not in patriotism, for that would prevent us from consummating the destruction of our common enemies.
