If I marry her I shall, if it so
please me and her, take her into society.'
'Into society!' she replied, with ineffable scorn.
'And I shall say to society, "Here is my wife.'"
'And when society asks, "Who _is_ your wife?'"
'I shall reply, "She is the daughter of the drunken organist who
desecrated my father's tomb, though that concerns you not:--her own
speciality, as you see, is that she is the flower of all girlhood."'
'And when society rejects this earthly paragon?'
'Then I shall reject society.'
'Reject society, boy!' said my mother. 'Why, Cyril Aylwin himself,
the bohemian painter who has done his best to cheapen and vulgarise
our name, is not a more reckless, lawless leveller than you. And,
good heavens! to him, and perhaps afterwards to you, will come--the
coronet.'
And she left the room.
III
WINIFRED'S DUKKERIPEN
I
I need not describe my journey to North Wales. On reaching Bettws y
Coed I turned into the hotel there--'The Royal Oak'--famished; for,
as fast as trains could carry me, I had travelled right across
England, leaving rest and meals to chance.
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