The Revolt of Man..............................................................................................................................................1

BREAKFAST was laid for two in the smallest rooma jewel of a roomof perhaps the largest house in

Park Lane. It was already halfpast ten, but as yet there was only one occupant of the room, an elderly lady

of striking appearance. Her face, a long oval face, was wrinkled and crowfooted in a thousand lines; her

capacious forehead was contracted as if with thought; her white eyebrows were thick and firmly drawn; her

deepset eyes were curiously keen and bright; her features were strongly marked, it was a handsome face

which could never, even in early girlhood, have been a pretty face; her abundant hair was of a rich creamy

white, the kind of white which in age compensates its owner for the years of her youth when it was inclined

to redness; her mouth was full, the lower lip slightly projecting, as is often found with those who speak much

and in large rooms; her fingers were restless; her figure was withered by time. When she laid aside the paper

she had been reading, and walked across the room to the open window, you might have noticed how frail and

This wrinkled face, this frail form, belonged to the foremost intellect of England; the lady was none other

than Dorothy Ingleby, Professor of Ancient and Modern History in the University of Cambridge.

It would be difficult, without going into great detail, and telling many anecdotes, to account for her great

reputation and the weight of her authority. She had written little; her lectures were certainly not popular with

undergraduates, partly because undergraduates will never attend Professors' lectures, and partly because the

University would not allow her to lecture at all on the history of the past, and the story of the present was

As girls at school, everybody had learned about the Great Transition, and the way in which the transfer of

Power, which marked the last and greatest step of civilisation, had been brought about: the gradual

substitution of women for men in the great offices; the spread of the new religion; the abolition of the

monarchy; the introduction of pure theocracy, in which the ideal Perfect Woman took the place of a personal

sovereign; the wise measures by which man's rough and rude strength was disciplined into obedience,all

these things were mere commonplaces of education. Even men, who learned little enough, were taught that in

the old days strength was regarded more than mind, while the father actually ruled in the place which should

have been occupied by the mother; these things belonged to constitutional historynobody cared much

about them; while, on the other hand, they would have liked to know the more curious among themwhat

was the kind of world which existed before the development of culture gave the reins to the higher sex; and it

was well known that the only person at all capable of presenting a faithful restoration of the old world was

Again, there was a mystery about her: although in holy orders, she had always refused to preach; it was

whispered that she was not orthodox. She had been twice called upon to sign the hundred and fortyfour

Articles, a request with which, on both occasions, she cheerfully complied, to the discomfiture of her

enemies. Yet her silence in matters of religion provoked curiosity and surmisea grave woman, a woman

with all the learning of the University Library in her head, a woman who, alone among women, held her

tongue, and who, when she did speak, spoke slowly, and weighed her words, and seemed to have written out

her conversation beforehand, so pointed and polished it was. In religion and politics, however, the Professor

generally maintained silence absolute. Now, if a woman is always silent on those subjects upon which other

women talk oftenest and feel most deeply, it is not wonderful if she becomes suspected of heterodoxy. It was

known positively, and she had publicly declared, that she wished the introductionshe once said,

mysteriously, the returnof a more exact and scientific training than could be gained from the political,

social, and moral economy which formed the sole studies of Cambridge. Now, the Heads of Houses, the other

professors, the college lecturers, and the fellows, all held the orthodox doctrine that there is no other learning

requisite or desirable than that contained in the aforesaid subjects. For these, they maintained, embrace all the

The Professor threw aside the Gazette, which contained as full a statement as was permitted of last night's

"Another defeat!" she murmured. "Poor Constance! This time, I suppose, they must resign. These continual

changes of ministry bring contempt as well as disaster upon the country. Six months ago, all the Talents!

Three months ago, all the Beauties! Now, all the Firstclasses! And what a messwhat a messthey make

between them! Why do they not come to me and make me lecture on ancient history, and learn how affairs

were conducted a hundred years ago, when man was in his own place, and"here she laughed and looked

Then she turned her eyes out to the park below her. It was a most charming morning in June; the trees were at

their freshest and their most beautiful: the flowers were at their brightest, with great masses of rhododendron,

purple lilac, and the golden rain of the laburnum. The Row was well filled: young men were there, riding

bravely and gallantly with their sisters, their mothers, or their wives; girls and ladies were taking their

morning canter before the official day began; and along the gravelwalks girls were hastening quickly to

their offices or their lecturerooms; older ladies sat in the shade, talking politics; idlers of both sexes were

"Youth and hope!" murmured the Professor. "Every lad hopes for a young wife; every girl trusts that success

will come to her while she is still young enough to be loved. Age looks on with her young husband at her

side, and prides herself in having no illusions left. Poor creatures! You destroyed lovelove the consoler,

love the levellerwhen you, who were born to receive, undertook to give. Blind! blind!"

She turned from the window and began to examine the pictures hanging on the walls. These consisted

entirely of small portraits copied from larger pictures. They were arranged in chronological order, and were

in fact family portraits. The older pictures were mostly the heads of men, taken in the fall of life,

graybearded, with strong, steadfast eyes, and the look of authority. Among them were portraits of ladies,

Among the modern pictures a very remarkable change was apparent. The men were painted in early

manhood, the women at a more mature age; the style was altered for the worse, a gaudy conventional

mannerism prevailed; there was weakness in the drawing and a blind following in the colour: as for the

details, they were in some cases neglected altogether, and in others elaborated so as to swamp and destroy the

subject of the picture. The faces of the men were remarkable for a self conscious beauty of the lower type:

there was little intellectual expression; the hair was always curly, and while some showed a bulllike repose

of strength, others wore an expression of meek and gentle submissiveness. As for the women, they were

represented with all the emblems of authority tables, thrones, papers, deeds, and pens.

"As if," said the Professor, "the peeresses' right divine to rule was in their hearts! But, in these days, the

There was a small stand full of books, chiefly of a lighter kind, prettily bound and profusely gilt. Some were

novels, with such titles as The Hero of the Cricket Field, The Long Jump, The Silver Racket, and so on.

Some were apparently poems, among them being Lady Longspin's Vision of the Perfect Knight, with a

frontispiece, showing the Last Lap of the SevenMile Race; Julia Durdle's poems of the Young Man's Crown

of Glory, and Aunt Agatha's Songs for Girls at School or College. There were others of a miscellaneous

character, such as Guide to the Young Politician, being a series of letters to a peeress at Oxford; Meditations

in the University Church; Hymns for Men; the Sacrifice of the Faithful Heart; The Womanhood of Heaven;

or, the Light and Hope of Men, with many others whose title proclaimed the nature of their contents. The

appearance of the books, however, did not seem to show that they were much read.

"I should have thought," said the Professor, "that Constance would have turned all this rubbish out of her

As the clock struck eleven, the door opened, and the young lady whom the Professor spoke of as Constance

She was a girl of twenty, singularly beautiful; her face was one of those very rare faces which seem as if

nature, after working steadily in one mould for a good many generations, has at last succeeded in perfecting

her idea. Most of our faces, somehow, look as if the mould had not quite reached the conception of the

sculptor. Unfortunately, while such faces as that of Constance, Countess of Carlyon, are rare, they are seldom

reproduced in children. Nature, in fact, smashes her mould when it is quite perfect, and begins again upon

another. The hair was of that best and rarest brown, in which there is a touch of gold when the sun shines

upon it. Her eyes were of a dark, deep blue; her face was a beautiful and delicate oval; her chin was pointed;

her cheek perhaps a little too pale, and rather thin; and there was a broad edging of black under her eyes,

which spoke of fatigue, anxiety, or disappointment. But she smiled when she saw her guest.

"Good morning, Professor," she said, kissing the wrinkled cheek. "It was good indeed of you to come. I only

"Oh, yes!" replied the girl wearily. "I am well enough. Let us have breakfast. I have been at work since eight

"I gathered so much," said the Professor, "from the rag they call the Official Gazette. They do not report

fully, of course, but it is clear that you had an exciting debate, and that you were defeated."

"I cannot bear to think of it," she cried. "We had a disgraceful night. I shall never forget itor forgive it. It

was not a debate at all; it was the exchange of unrestrained insults, rude personalities, humiliating

"Take some breakfast first, my dear," said the Professor, "and then you shall tell me as much as you please."

Most of the breakfast was eaten by the Professor herself. Long before she had finished, Constance sprang

"It is hardoh! it is very hardto preserve even common dignity, when such attacks are made. One noble

peeress taunted me with my youth. It is two years since I came of ageI am twenty,but never mind that.

Another threw in my teeth my mymy cousin Chester,"she blushed violently; "to think that the British

House of Peeresses should have fallen so low! Another charged me with trying to be thought the loveliest

woman in London; can we even listen to such things without shame? And the Duchesse de la Vieille

Roche"here she laughed bitterly"actually had the audacity to attack my Political Economymine; and I

was Senior in the Tripos! When they were tired of abusing me, they began upon each other. No reporters

were present. The Chancellor, poor lady! tried in vain to maintain order; the scenewith the whole House,

as it seemed, screeching, crying, demanding to be heard, throwing accusations, innuendoes, insinuations, at

each othermade one inclined to ask if this was really the House of Peeresses, the Parliament of Great

Britain, the place where one would expect to find the noblest representatives in the whole world of culture

Constance paused, exhausted but not satisfied. She had a good deal more to say, but for the moment she stood

"The last mixed Parliament," said the Professor, thoughtfully"that in which the few men who were

members seceded in a bodypresented similar characteristics. The abuse of the liberty of speech led to the

"Thank Heaven," replied the Countess, "that it was abolished! Since then we have hadat least we have

"They cannot abolish us," said Constance, "because they would have nothing to fall back upon."

"Yeyes." The Professor leaned back in her chair. "James II., in the old time, said much the same thing; yet

they abolished him. To be sure, in his days, divine right went through the male line."

"Men said so," said the Countess, "to serve their selfish ends. How can any line be continued except through

Then there was silence for a little, the Professor calmly eating an egg, and the Home Secretary playing with

"We hardly expected success," she continued, after a while; "it was only in the desperate condition of the

Party that the Cabinet gave way to my proposal. Yet I did hope that the nature of the Bill would have

awakened the sympathy of a House which has brothers, fathers, nephews, and male relations of all kinds, and

"That is bitter, Constance," sighed the Professor. "I hope you did not begin by saying so."

"No, I did not. I explained that we were about to ask for a Commission into the general condition of the men

of this country. I set forth, in mild and conciliating language, a few of my facts. You know them all; I learned

them from you. I showed that the whole of the educational endowments of this country have been seized

upon for the advantage of women. I suggested that a small proportion might be diverted for the assistance of

men. Married men with property, I showed, have no protection from the prodigality of their wives. I pointed

out that the law of evidence, as regards violence towards wives, presses heavily on the man. I showed that

single men's wages are barely sufficient to purchase necessary clothing. I complained of the long hours

during which men have to toil in solitude or in silence, of the many cases in which they have to do housework

and attend to the babies, as well as do their long day's work. And I ventured to hint at the onerous nature of

"My dear Constance," interrupted the Professor, "was it judicious to show your whole hand at once? Surely

"Perhaps. I ventured next to call the serious attention of the House to the grave discontent among the younger

women of the middle classes who, by reason of the crowded state of the professions, are unable to think of

marriage, as a rule, before forty, and often have to wait later. This was received with cold disapprobation: the

House is always touchy on the subject of marriage. But when I went on to hint that there was danger to the

State in the reluctance with which the young men entered the married state under these conditions, there was

"Just what one would have expected. Talk the conventional commonplace, and the House will listen; tell the

truth, and the House will rise with one consent and shriek you down. Poor child! what did you expect?"

"A dozen rose together. Lady Cloistertown caught the Chancellor's eye. I suppose you know her

extraordinary command of commonplaces. She asked whether the House was prepared to place man on an

equality with woman; she supposed we should like to see him sitting with ourselves, voting with the rudeness

of his intellect, even speaking with the bluntness of the masculine manner. And then she burst into a scream.

`Irreligion,' she cried, `was rampant; was this a moment for bringing forward such a motion? Not only

women, but even men, had begun to doubt the Perfect Woman; the rule of the higher intellect was threatened;

the new civilisation was tottering; we might even expect an attempt to bring about a return of the reign of

brute force' Heavens! and that was only a beginning. Then followed the weary platitudes that we know

"If you insist upon every kind of truth being naked," said the Professor, "you ought not to grumble if her

"I would we could!" echoed the elder lady. "I know the weariness of the commonplace. When we are every

year invaded by gentlemen at Commemoration, I have to go through the same dreary performance. The

phrases about the higher intellect, the sex which is created to carry on the thought, while the other executes

the work of this world; the likeness and yet unlikeness between us due to that beautiful arrangement of

nature; the extraordinary success we are making of our power; the loveliness of the new religion, revealed bit

by bit, to one woman after another, until we were able to reach unto the conception, the vision, the realisation

"Professor," interrupted Constance, laying her hand on her friend's shoulder, "do not talk so. Strengthen my

faith; do not destroy what is left of religion by a sneer. Alas! everything seems falling away; nothing satisfies;

there is no support anywhere, nor any hope. I suppose I am not strong enough for my work; at least I have

failed. The whole country is crying out with discontent. The Lancashire women cannot sell their husband's

work. I hear that they are taking to drink. Wife beating has broken out again in the Potteries. It is reported

that secret associations are again beginning to be formed among the men; and then there are these county

magistrates with their unjust sentences. A man at Leicester has been sentenced to penal servitude for twenty

years because his wife says he swore at her and threatened her. I wrote for information; the magistrate says

she thought an example was needed. And, innocent or guilty, the husband is not allowed to crossexamine

"The husbanda man of hitherto blameless character,young, wellborn, handsome, good at his trade, and

with some pretensions to the higher culturesentenced to penal servitude for life for striking his wife, one of

"As you are going out of office today, my Lady Home Secretary, and can do no more justice for a while, I

will tell you the truth of that case. The wife was tired of her husband. It was a most unhappy match. She

wanted to marry another man, so she trumped up the charge; that is the disgraceful truth. No fishwife of

Billingsgate could have lied more impudently. He, in accordance with our, no doubt most just and

wellintentioned, laws, becomes a convict for the rest of his days; she marries again. Everybody knows the

truth, but nobody ventures to state it. She banged her own arm black and blue herself with the poker, and

showed it in open court as the effects of his violence. As for her husband, I visited him in prison. He was

calm and collected. He says that he is glad there are no children to lament his disgrace, that prison life is

preferable to living any longer with such a woman, and that, on the whole, death is better than life when an

"Poor man!" groaned Constance. "Stay; I have a few hours yet of power. His name?" she sprang to her desk.

"John Phillipsno; Phillips is the wife's name. I forgot that the sentence itself carries divorce with it. His

"John Coryton. He shall be released. A free pardon from the Home Secretary cannot be appealed against. He

"Constance!" The Professor seized her hand. "You will have the thanks of every woman who knows the truth.

"I care not," she said. "I have done one just action in my short term of office. Iwho looked to do so many

"It is difficult, more difficult than one ever suspects, for a Minister to do good. Alas! my dear, John Coryton's

"I know," replied Constance sighing. "Yet what can I do! Our greatest enemies areourselves. Oh,

Professor! when I think of the men working at their looms from morning until night, cooking the dinners and

looking after the children, while the women sit about the village pump or in their clubs, to talk unmeaning

politics Tell me, logician, why our theories are all so logical, and our practice is so bad?"

"Everything," said the Professor, "in our system is rigorously logical and just. If it could not be proved

scientificallyif it were not absolutely certainthe system could never be accepted by the exact intellect of

cultivated women. Have not Oxford and Cambridge proclaimed this from a hundred pulpits and in a thousand

textbooks? My dear Lady Carlyon, you yourself proved it when you took your degree in the most brilliant

"Nay," replied Professor Ingleby; "I said not that. But every conclusion depends upon the minor premiss.

That, dear Countess, in the case of our system, appears to me a little uncertain."

"But where is the uncertainty? Surely you will allow me, my dear Professor,"Constance

smiled,"although I am only a graduate of two years' standing, to know enough logic to examine a

"Surely, Constance. My dear, I do not presume to doubt your reasoning powers. It was only an expression of

"For instance," the Professor went on, "we were logically right when we suppressed the Sovereignty. In a

perfect State, the head must also be perfect. Whom, then, could we acknowledge as head but the Perfect

Woman? So we became a pure theocracy. Then, again, we were right when we abolished the Lower House;

for in a perfect State, the best rulers must be those who are wellborn, welleducated, and wellbred. All this

"Enough, Professor! I am tired of debates and the battles of phrase. The House may get on without me. And I

will inquire no more, even of you, Professor, into the foundations of faith, constitution, and the rest of it. I am

brave, when I rise in my place, about the unalterable principles of religious and political economy: brave

words do not mean brave heart. Like so many who are outspoken, which I cannot beat least yetmy faith

"Nay; for I shall cease to investigate; I shall go down to the country and talk with my tenants."

"I teach a great deal, at least," she replied. "Three times a week I lecture the women on constitutional law,

and twice on the best management of husbands, sons, and farmlabourers, and so forth."

"And you are so much occupied in teaching that you never learn? That is a great pity, Constance. Do you

"Old habits linger longest in country places. What do you find to remark upon, most of all?"

"The strange and unnatural deference," replied the girl, with a blush of shame, "paid by country women to the

men. Yes, Professor, after all our teaching, and in spite of all our laws, in the country districts the old illogical

"Why," said the Countess, "the wives are supposed to manage, but their husbands really have the whole

"It is," said the Professor. "Child, a few generations ago he did all this as the acknowledged head of the

"I mean, my dear Countess, that things are never so near their end as when they appear the firmest. Now, if

you please, tell me something more of this great speech of yours, which so roused the wrath of assembled and

Constance began, in a quick, agitated way, nervously pacing the room, to run through the main points of the

speech which she had prepared but had not been allowed to deliver. It was a plea for the intellectual elevation

of the other sex. She pointed out that, although there was legislation in plenty for their subjection,although

the greatest care was taken to prevent men from working together, conspiring, and meeting, so that most

work was done in solitude or at homeand when that was not the case, a woman was always present to

enforce silence although laws had been passed to stamp out violence, and to direct the use of brute strength

into useful channels,little or nothing had been done, even by private enterprise, for the education of men.

She showed that the prisons were crammed with cases of young men who had "broken out"; that very soon

they would have no more room to hold their prisoners; that the impatience of men under the severe

restrictions of the law was growing greater every day, and more dangerous to order; and that, unless some

The Countess went on with her speech. "I am not advocating, before this august assembly, the adoption of

unconstitutional and revolutionary measures,I claim only for men such an education of their reasoning

faculties as will make them reasoning creatures. I would teach them something of what we ourselves learn, so

that they may reason as we reason, and obey the law because they cannot but own that the law is just. I know

that we must first encourage the young men to follow a healthy instinct which bids them be strong; yet there

is more in life for a man to do than to work, to dig, to carry out orders, to be a good athlete, an obedient

"You are yet in twilight, dear Constance." The Professor rose and laid her hand on the young Countess's arm.

"Child, your generous heart has divined what your logic would have made it impossible for you to

"Have I? The House would not allow me to say it, then; my own friends deserted me; a vote of want of

confidence was hurriedly passed by a majority of 235 to 22; and"the young Minister laughed

"For a timeyes," said the Professor. "But, Constance, there is a greater work before you than you suspect or

dream. Greatest of the women of all time, my child, shall you beif what I hope may be brought to pass. Let

not this little disappointment of an hour vex you any longer. Gogain strength in the

"Read," continued the Professor; "readwith closed doors the forbidden books. They stand in your own

castle, locked up in cases; they have not been destroyed because they are not known to exist. Read

Events which followed prevented the Countess from undertaking this course of study; for she remained in

town. From time to time the Professor was wont to startle her by reading or quoting some passage which

appealed to her imagination as nothing in modern poetry seemed able to do. She knew that the passage came

from one of the old books which had been put away, locked up, or destroyed. It was generally a passage of

audacity, clothing a revolutionary sentiment in words which burned themselves into her brain, and seemed

alive. She never forgot these words, but she dared not repeat them. And she knew herself that the very

possession of the sentiments, the knowledge that they existed, made her "dangerous," as her enemies called

"How very imprudent!" cried Constance, reddening with vexation. "Why will the boy do these wild things?

Help me, Professor. My cousin, Lord Chester, wants to see me, and is coming, by himself, to my

"Surely I am sufficient guardian of the proprieties, Constance. We will say, if you like, that the boy came to

see his old tutor. Let him come, and, unless he has anything for your ear alone, I can be present."

"Heaven knows what he has to say," his cousin sighed. "Always some fresh escapade, some kicking over the

limits of convention." She was standing at the window, and looked out. "And here he comes, riding along

"EDWARD!" cried Constance, giving her cousin her hand, "is this prudent? You ride down Park Lane as if

you were riding after hounds, your unhappy attendantpoor girl!trying in vain to keep up with you; and

then you descend openly, and in the eyes of all, alone, at my doorthe door of your unmarried cousin.

Consider one, my dear Edward, if you are careless about your own reputation. Do you think I have no

enemies? Do you think young Lord Chester can go anywhere without being seen and reported? Do you think

"My reputation, Constance, may just as well be lost as kept. What do I care for my reputation?"

He was worth looking at, if only as a model, being six feet high, twoandtwenty years of age, strongly built,

with crisp, curly brown hair, the shoulders of a Hercules, and the face of an Apollo. But today his face was

"What has happened now, Edward?" asked his cousin. "Anything important? The new groom?"

"The new groom has a seat like a sack, is afraid to gallop, and can't jump. As for her nerve, she's got none.

My stableboy Jack would be worth ten of her. But if a man cannot be allowed for the sake of his precious

reputationto ride without a girl trailing at his heels, why, I suppose there is no more to be said. No,

"Edward, you are too masterful," said his cousin, gravely. "One cannot, even if he be Earl of Chester, fly in

the face of all the convenances. Rules are made to protect the weak for their own sake; the strong obey them

for the sake of the weak. You are strong; be therefore considerate. Suppose all young men were allowed to

"But about this disaster, Edward; is it the postponement of a cricket match, the failure of a tennis game"

"Constance," he interrupted, "I should have thought you capable of believing that I should not worry you at

such a moment with trifles. I have got the most serious news for you things for which I want your help and

Constance turned pale. What could he have to tell her except one thingthe one thing which she had been

Edward, Earl of Chester in his own right, held his title by a tenure unique in the peerage. For four generations

the Countesses of Chester had borne their husbands one child only, and that a son; for four generations the

Earls of Chester had married ladies of good family, certainly, but of lower rank, so that the title remained. He

represented, by lineal descent through the male line, the ancient Royal House; and though there were not

wanting ladies descended through the female line from old Kings of England, by this extraordinary accident

he possessed the old royal descent, which was more coveted than any other in the long lists of the Red Book.

It was objected that its honours were half shorn by being transmitted through so many males; but there were

plenty to whisper that, according to ancient custom, the young Earl would be none other than the King of

England. So long a line of only children could not but result in careful nursing of the estate, which was held

in trust and ward by one Countess after another, until now it was one of the greatest in the country; and

though there were a few peeresses whose acres exceeded those of the Earl of Chester, there was no young

man in the matrimonial market to be compared with him. His hand was at the disposalsubject, of course, to

his own agreement, which was taken for grantedof the Chancellor, who, up to the present time, had made

Young, handsome, the holder of a splendid title, the owner of a splendid rentroll, said to be of amiable

disposition, known to be proud of his descentcould there be a husband more desirable? Was it to be

wondered at if every unmarried woman in a certain rank of life, whether maid or widow, dreamed of

marrying the Earl of Chester, and made pictures in her own mind of herself as the Countess, sitting in the

House, taking precedence as Premi�re, after the Duchesses, holding office, ruling departments, making

eloquent speeches, followed and reported by the society papers, giving great entertainments, actually being

It was whispered that Lady Carlyon would ask her cousin's hand; it was also whispered that the Chancellor

(now a permanent officer of the State) would never grant her request on account of her politics; it was also

whispered that a certain widow, advanced in years, of the highest rank, had been observed to pay particular

attention to the young Earl in society and in the field. This report, however, was received with caution, and

"Serious news!" Constance for a moment looked very pale. The Professor glanced at her with concern and

even pity. "Serious news!" She was going to add, "Who is it?" but stopped in time. "What is it?" she said

"You have not yet heard, then," the Earl replied, "of the great honour done to me and to my house?"

Constance shook her head. She knew now that her worst fears were going to be realised.

"No less a person than her Grace the Duchess of Dunstanburgh has offered me, through the Chancellor, the

Constance started. This was the worst, indeed. The Duchess of Dunstanburgh! Sixtyfive years of age;

"Have you nothing to say, Constance?" asked the young man. "Do you not envy me my happy lot? My bride

is not young to be sure, but she is a Duchess; the old Earldom will be lost in the new Duchy. She has buried

three husbands already; one may look forward with joy to lying beside them in her gorgeous mausoleum. Her

country house is finer than mine, but it is not so old. She is of rank so exalted that one need not inquire into

her temper, which is said to be evil; nor into the little faults, such as jealousy, suspicion, meanness, greed,

"Then, again, one's religion will be so beautifully brought into play. We are required to obeythat is the first

thing taught in the Church catechism; all women are set in authority over us. I must therefore obey the

"Again, what says the text?`It is man's chiefest honour to be chosen: his highest duty to give, wherever

"What martyrs of religion would ask for a more noble opportunity," he asked, "than to marry this old

"Let us face the position," said the Professor. "The Chancellor has gone through the form of asking your

"To inform her of your acquiescence. Yes; it is the usual form. The time is very short."

"Patience, my lord!" The Professor was thinking what to advise for the best. "Patience! Let us have no sudden

and violent resolves. We may get time. Aytime will be our best friend. Remember that the Chancellor must

be obeyed. She may, for the sake of courtesy, go through the form of proposing a suitable alliance for your

consideration, but her proposition is her order, which you must obey. Otherwise it is contempt of court, and

"Such contempt would be punished by imprisonment for life. Imprisonment, hopeless."

"Nay" he replied. "Not hopeless, because one could always hope in the power of friends. Have I not

Constance? And then, you see, Professor, I am twoandtwenty, while the Chancellor and the Duchess are

The Professor shook her head. Even to speak of the age of so great a lady, even to hint at her death as an

"My determination is this," he went on, "whatever the consequence, I will never marry the Duchess. Law or

no law, I will never marry a woman unless I love her." His eye rested for a moment on his cousin, and he

reddened. "I may be imprisoned, but I shall carry with me the sympathy of every womanthat is, of every

"That will not help you, poor boy," said the Professor. "Hundreds of men are lying in our prisons who would

have the sympathies of young women, were their histories known. But they lie there still, and will lie there

There were moments when this young man seemed to forget the lessons of his early training, and the

examples of his fellows. The meekness, modesty, submission, and docility which should mark the perfect

man sometimes disappeared, and gave place to an assumption of the authority which should only belong to

woman. At such times, in his own castle, his servants trembled before him; the stoutest woman's heart failed

for fear: even his guardian, the Dowager Lady Boltons, selected carefully by the Chancellor on account of her

inflexible character, and because she had already reduced to complete submission a young heir of the most

obstinate disposition, and the rudest and most uncompromising material, quailed before him. He rode over

her, so to speak. His will conquered hers. She was ashamed to own it; she did not acquaint the Chancellor

with her ward's masterful character, but she knew, in her own mind, that her guardianship had been a failure.

Nay, so strange was the personal influence of the young man, so infectious among the men were such

assertions of will, that any husband who happened to witness one of them, would go home and carry on in

fashion so masterful, so independent, and so selfwilled, even those who had previously been the most

submissive, that they were only brought to reason and proper submission by threats, remonstrances, and visits

of admonition from the vicarwho, poor woman, was always occupied in the pulpit, owing to the Earl's bad

example, with the disobedience of man and its awful consequences here and hereafter. Sometimes these

failed. Then they became acquainted with the inside of a prison and with bread and water.

"Let us get time," said the Professor. "My lord, I hope"here she sunk her voice to a whisper"that you

Again the young man's eyes boldly fell upon Constance, who blushed without knowing why.

She hesitated. What use to say now what should have been said at another time and at a more fitting

"I am no milky, modest, obedient youth, Constance. You know me well. Have you nothing to say to me?"

In the novels, the young man who hears the first word of love generally sinks on his knees, and with

downcast eyes and blushing face reverentially kisses the hand so graciously offered to him. In ordinary life

they had to wait until they were asked. Yet this young man was actually askingboldly askingfor the

word of lovewhat else could he mean?and instead of blushing, was fixedly regarding Constance with

"It seems idle now to say it," she replied, stammering and hesitatingthough in novels the woman always

spoke up in clear, calm, and resolute accents; "but, Edward, had the Chancellor not been notoriously the

personal friend and creature of the Duchess, I should have gone to her long ago. They were schoolfellows;

she owes her promotion to the Duchess; she would most certainly have rewarded her Grace by refusing my

"Cousinship, incompatibility of temper, some legal quibble who knows? However, that is past; forget, my

poor Edward, that I have told what should have been a secret. You will marry the Duchessyou"

He interrupted her by laughinga cheerfully sarcastic laugh, as of one who holds the winning cards and

"Fair cousin," he said, "I have something to say to you of far more importance than that. You have retired

before an imaginary difficulty. I am going to face a real difficulty, a real danger. Constance," he went on,

"you and I are such old friends and playfellows, that you know me as well as a woman can ever know a man

who is not her husband. We played together when you were three and I was five. When you were ten and I

was twelve, we read out of the same book until the stupidity and absurdity of modern custom tried to stop me

from reading any more. Since then we have read separately, and you have done your best to addle your pretty

head with political economy, in the name and by the aid of which you and your House of Lawmakers have

"Edward! this is the wildest treason. Where, oh, where, did you learn to talkto thinkto dare such

"Never mind where, Constance. In those daysin those years of daily companionshipa hope grew up in

my heart,a flame of fire which kept me alive, I think, amidst the depression and gloom of my fellow men.

Constance trembledthe Countess of Carlyon, the Home Secretary, trembled. Had she ever before, in all her

In the novels, it was true, many a young man, greatly daring, by a bold word swept away a cloud of

misunderstanding and reserve. But this was in novels written by women of the middle class, who can never

hope to marry young, for the solace of people of their own rank. It was not to be expected that in such works

there should be any basis of realitythey were in no sense pictures of life; for, in reality, as was deplored

almost openly, when these elderly ladies were rich enough to take a husband and face the possibilities of

marriage, though they always chose the young men, it was rare indeed that they met with more than a

respectful acquiescence. Nothing, ladies complained, among each other, was more difficult to win and retain

than a young man's love. But here was this headstrong youth, with love in his eyesbold, passionate,

masterful love overpowering lovelove in his attitude as he bent over the girl, and love upon his lips. Oh,

dignity of a Home Secretary! Oh, rules and conventions of life! Oh, restraints of religion! Where were they

"Constance," he said taking her hand, "all the rubbish about manly modesty is outside the door: and that is

closed. I am descended from a race who in the good old days wooed their brides for themselves, and fought

for them too, if necessary. Not toothless, hoary old women, but young, sunny, blooming girls, like yourself.

And they wooed them thus, my sweet." He seized her in his strong arms and kissed her on the lips, on the

cheeks, on the forehead. Constance, frightened and moved, made no resistance, and answered nothing. Once

she looked up and met his eyes, but they were so strong, so burning, so determined, that she was fain to look

no longer. "I love you, my dear," the shameless young man went on,"I love you. I have always loved you,

and shall never love any other woman; and if I may not marry you, I will never marry at all. Kiss me yourself,

Had he a spell? was he a wizard, this lover of hers? Could Constance, she thought afterwards, trying to recall

the scene, have dreamed the thing, or did she throw her arms about his neck and murmur in his ears that she

too loved him, and that if she could not marry him, there was no other man in all the world for her?

To recall those five precious minutes, indeed, was afterwards to experience a sense of humiliation which,

while it crimsoned her cheek, made her heart and pulse to beat, and sent the blood coursing through her veins.

She felt so feeble and so small, but then her lover was so strong. Could she have believed it possible that the

will of a man should thus be able to overpower her? Why, she made no resistance at all while her cousin in

this unheardof manner betrayed a passion which . . . which . . . yes, by all the principles of holy religion, by

all the rules of society, by all the teaching which inculcated submission, patience, and waiting to be chosen,

caused this young man to deserve punishmentcondign, sharp, exemplary. And yetwhat did this mean?

Constance felt her heart go forth to him. She loved him the more for his masterfulness; she was prouder of

That was what she thought afterwards. What she did, when she began to recover, was to free herself and hide

"Edward," she whispered, "we are mad. And I, who should have known better, am the more culpable. Let us

"Respect?" he echoed. "Why, who could respect you, Constance, more than I do? Silence? Yes, for a while.

"Wrong! Oh, Constance, let us not, between ourselves, talk the foolish unrealities of school and pulpit."

"Oh, Edward!"she looked about her in terror"for Heaven's sake do not blaspheme. If any were to hear

you. . . . For words less rebellious men have been sent to the prisons for life."

"Have patience," Constance went on, trying to get into her usual frame of mind; but she was shaken to the

very foundation, and at the moment actually felt as if her religion was turned upside down and her allegiance

transferred to the Perfect Man. "Have patience, Edward; you will yet win through to the higher faith. Many a

young man overpowered by his strength, as you have been, has had his doubts, and yet has landed at last

Edward made no reply to this, not even by a smile. It was not a moment in which the ordinary consolations of

religion, so freely offered by women to men, could touch his soul. He took out his watch and remarked that

"With her ladyship, I suppose," he said, "we shall find the painted, ruddled, bewigged old hag who has the

"Edward! cousin! are you mad? Are you proposing to seek a prison at once? Hag? old? painted? ruddled?

And this of the Duchess of Dunstanburgh? Are you aware that the least of these charges is actionable at

"I will, sweet Constance. And for your sake, just to our two selves, I repeat that the painted"

Once more this audacious and unmanly lover, who respected nothing, seized her by the waist and kissed her

lips. Once more Lady Carlyon felt that unaccountable weakness steal upon her, so that she was bewildered,

faint, and humiliated. For a moment she lay still and acquiescent in his arms. Worse than all, the door opened

"Upon my word!" she said, with a smile upon her lips; "upon my word, my lordConstanceif her Grace

of Dunstanburgh knew this! Children, children!"she laid her withered hand upon Constance's head"I

pray that this thing may be. But we want time. Let us keep Lord Chester's appointment. And, as far as you

can, leave to me, my lord, your old tutor, the task of speech. I know the Duchess, and I know the Chancellor.

It may be that the oil of persuasion will be more efficacious than the lash of contradiction. Let me try."

"I have thought of a way of getting time. Come with us, Constance, as Lord Chester's nearest female relation;

I as his tutor, in absence of Lady Boltons, who is ill. When the Chancellor proposes the Duchess, do you

proposeyourself. She will decide against you on the spot. Appeal to the House; that will give us three

THE CHANCELLOR, a lady now advanced in years, was of humble origina fact to which she often

alluded at public meetings with a curious mixture of humility and pride: the former, because it did really

humiliate her in a country where so much deference was paid to hereditary rank, to reflect that she could not

be proud of her ancestors; the latter, because her position was really so splendid, and her enemies could not

but acknowledge it. She had plenty of enemiesas was, of course, the case with every successful woman in

every line of lifeand these were unanimous in declaring that she proclaimed her humble origin only

because, if she attempted to conceal it, other people would proclaim it for her. And, indeed, without

attributing extraordinary malice to these ladies, the Chancellor's unsuccessful rivals and enemies, this

statement was probably truenothing being more common, during an animated debate, than for the ladies to

hurl at each other's heads all such facts procurable as might be calculated to damage the reputation of a

family: and this so much so, that after a lively night the family trees were as much scotched, broken, and

lopped as a public pleasuregarden in the nineteenth century after the first Monday in August.

At this time the Chancellor had arrived at a respectable age being, that is to say, in her sixtysixth year.

She was a woman of uneven temper, having been soured by a long life of struggle against rivals who lost no

opportunity of assailing her public and private reputation. She had remained unmarried, because, said her

foes, no man would consent to link his lot with so spiteful a person; she was no lawyer, they said, because her

whole desire and aim had been to show herself a lawyer of the highest rank; she was partialthis they said

for the same reason, because she wanted to be remembered as an upright judge. They alluded in the House to

her ignorance of the higher culturealthough the poor lady had taught herself halfadozen languages, and

was skilled in many arts; and they taunted her with her friendship for, meaning her dependence upon, her

patron, the Duchess of Dunstanburgh. The last accusation was the burr that stuck, because the poor

Chancellor could not deny its truth. She was, in fact, the daughter of a very respectable womana

tenantfarmer of the Duchess. Her Grace found the girl clever, and educated her. She acquired over her, by

the force of her personal character, an extraordinary influence having made her entirely her own creature.

She found the money for her entrance at the Bar, pushed her at the beginning, watched her upward course,

never let her forget that everything was owing to her own patronage at the outset, and, when the greatest prize

of the profession was in her grasp, and the farmer's girl became Chancellor, the Duchess of Dunstanburgh

by one of those acts of hers which upset the debates and resolutions of yearspassed a Bill which made the

appointment tenable for life, and so transferred into her own hands all the power, all the legal skill of the

Chancellor. It was the most brilliant political coup ever made. Those who knew whispered that the

Chancellor had no voice, no authority, no independent action at all; her patron regulated everything. While

this terrible Duchess lived, the Court of Chancery belonged to her with all its manifold and complicated

powers. She herself was, save at rare intervals, Prime Minister, Autocrat, and almost Dictator. Certainly it

was notorious that whatever the Duchess of Dunstanburgh wanted she had; and it was also a fact not to be

disputed, that there were many lawyers of higher repute, more dignified, more learned, more eloquent, and of

better birth, who had been passed over to make room for this prot�g�e of the Duchessthis "daughter of the

Lord Chester, accompanied by the Countess of Carlyon and Professor Ingleby, arrived at the Law Courts at

twelve, the hour of the Chancellor's appointment, and were shown into an ante room. Here, with a want of

courtesy most remarkable, considering the rank of the ward in Chancery whose future was to be decided at

this interview, they were kept waiting for half an hour. When at length they were admitted to the presence,

they were astonished to find that, contrary to all precedent, the Duchess of Dunstanburgh herself was with the

Chancellor. In fact she had been directing her creature in the line she was to take: she intended to receive the

hand of the Earl from her, and to push on the marriage without an hour's delay. It was sharp practice; but her

Grace was not a woman who considered herself bound by the ordinary rules. Any lesser person would have

made her petition for the hand of a ward, and waited until she had received in due course official notification

of acceptance, when an interview would have been arranged and the papers signed. All this, owing to the

delays of Chancery, generally took from a twelvemonth upwards; and in the case of poor people who had no

interest, perhaps their petitions were never decided at all, so that the unfortunate petitioner waited in vain,

until she died of old age, still unmarried; and the unlucky ward lived on, hoping against hope, till his time for

marriage went by. The Duchess possessed even more than the dignity which became her rank. She was rather

a tall woman, with aquiline features; her age was sixtyfive, and in her makeup she studiously affected, not

the bloom and elasticity of youth, but the vigour and strength of middle lifesay of fifty. All the resources

of art were lavished upon her with this object: her hair showed a touch of gray upon the temples, but was still

abundant, rich, and glossy, and was so beautifully arranged that it challenged the admiration even of those

who knew that it was a wig; her eyebrows were dark and well definedher enemies said she kept a special

artist continually employed in making new eyebrows; her teeth were of pearly whiteness; her cheeks, just

touched with paint, showed none of the wrinkles of timethough no one knew how that was managed; her

forehead, strong and broad, was crossed by three deep lines which could not be effaced by any artist. Some

said they were caused by the successive deaths of three husbands, and therefore marked the Duchess's

profound grief and the goodness of her heart, because it was known that one of them at leastthe third,

youngest, and handsomest of all, upon whom the fond wife lavished all her affectionshad given her the

greatest trouble; indeed, it was even said that and thatand thatwith mane other circumstances

showing the blackest ingratitude, so that women held up their hands and wondered what men wanted. But her

Grace's enemies said that her famous wrinkles were caused by her three great vices of pride, ambition, and

avarice; and they declared that if she developed another such furrow, it would represent her other great vice

of vanity. As for that third husbandcould one expect the poor young man to fall in love with a woman

The Duchess was richly but plainly dressed in black velvet and lace; her figure was still full. As she rose to

greet the Chancellor's ward, she leaned upon a goldheaded stickbeing somewhat troubled with gout. Her

smile was encouraging and kind towards the Earl; to Constance, as to a political enemy who was to be treated

with all external courtesy, she bowed low; and she coldly inclined her head in return to the profound act of

deference paid to her by the Professor. The Chancellor, a fussy little woman with withered cheeks, wrinkled

brow, and thin gray locks, sat at her table. She hardly rose to greet her ward, whom she motioned to a chair.

"I come with Lord Chester on this occasion," said Constance, "as his nearest female relation. As your

"I ask your ladyship's permission to appear in support of my pupil on this important occasion. His guardian,

"There is no reason, I suppose," said the Chancellor, ungraciously, and with a glance of some anxiety at the

Duchess, "why you should not be present, Professor Ingleby;unless, that is, the Earl of Chester would

Lord Chester, who was very grave, merely shook his head. Then the Chancellor shuffled about her papers for

"Your lordship will kindly give me your best attention," she began, with some approach to blandness. "I am

glad, in the first place, to congratulate you on your health, your appearance, and your strength. I have

received the best reports on your moral and religious behaviour, and your docility, and andso on, from

your guardian, Lady Boltons, and I am only sorry that she is not able to be here herself, in order to receive

from me my thanks for the faithful and conscientious discharge of her duties, and from the Duchess of

Dunstanburgh a recognition of her services in those terms which come from no one with more weight and

more dignity than from her Grace." The Duchess held up a hand in deprecation; the Professor nodded, and

lifted up her hands and smiled, as if a word of thanks from the Duchess was all she, for her part, wanted, in

order to be perfectly happy. The Earl, one is sorry to say, sat looking straight at the Chancellor without an

expression of any kind, unless it were one of patient endurance. The Chancellor went on.

"You will shortly, you now know, pass from my guardianship to the hands and care of another far more able

"Before your ladyship goes any further, I beg to state to you that Lord Chester has only this morning

informed me of a proposal made to you by her Grace of Dunstanburgh, which is now under your

"Before you proceed,"Constance changed colour, but her voice was firm,"you will permit me also to

make official and formal application in the presence of the Duchess herself, who will, I am sure, be a witness,

and Professor Ingleby, for the hand of Lord Chester. There is, I think, no occasion for me to say anything in

addition to my simple proposal. What I could add would probably not influence your ladyship's decision. You

"May I ask your Grace what is astonishing about this proposal? May I remind you that I have known Lord

Chester all my life; that we are equals in point of rank, position, and wealth; that I am, if I may say so, not

altogether undistinguished, even in the House of which your Grace is so exalted an ornament? But I have to

The Chancellor turned anxiously to her patroness, as if for direction. She replied with dignity.

"Your ladyship is aware that, as the earlier applicant, my proposal would naturally take precedence in your

ladyship's consideration of any later ones. I might even demand that it be considered on its own merits,

without reference at all to Lady Carlyon's proposal, with regard to which I keep my own opinion."

Constance remarked, coldly, that her Grace's opinion was unfortunately, in most important matters, exactly

opposite to her own and to that of her friends, and she was contented to disagree with her. She then informed

the Chancellor that as no decision had been given as to the marriage of Lord Chester, the case was still before

her, and, she submitted, the proposals both of herself and of the Duchess should be weighed by her ladyship.

"And," she added, "I would humbly submit that there are many other considerations, in the case of so old and

great a House as that represented by Lord Chester, which should be taken account of. Higher rank than his

own, for instance, need riot be desired, nor greater wealth; nor many other things which in humbler marriages

may be considered. I will go further: in this room, which is, as it were, a secret chamber, I say boldly that care

"And why," cried the Duchess sharply, and dropping her stick "why should it not be continued?"

Here a remarkable thing happened. Lord Chester should have affected a complete ignorance of the insult

which Constance had deliberately flung in her rival's teeth: what he did do was to turn slowly round and stare,

in undisguised wonder, at the Duchess, as if surprised at her audacity. Even her Grace, with all her pride and

experience, could not sustain this calm, cold look. She faltered and said no more. Lord Chester picked up the

"I am much obliged to you, Lady Carlyon," said the Chancellor, tapping her knuckles with her glasses; "very

much obliged to you, I am sure, for laying down rules for my guidance MINE!in the interpretation of

the law and my duty. That, however, may pass. It is my businessalthough I confess that this interruption is

of a most surprising and unprecedented natureto proceed with the case before me, which is that of the

"Do I understand," asked Lady Carlyon, "that you refuse to receive my proposal? Remember that you must

receive it. You cannot help receiving it. This is a public matter, which shall, if necessary, be brought before

the House and before the nation. I say that your ladyship must receive my proposal."

"Perhaps," said the Duchess, "if Lady Carlyon's proposal were to be receivedlet me ask that it may be

received, even if against precedentthe consideration of the case could be proceeded with at once, and

"Very goodvery good." The Chancellor was glad to get out of a difficulty. "I will take the second proposal

into consideration as well as the first. Now then, my Lord. You have been already informed that the Duchess

Here the Duchess made a gesture, and slowly rose, as if about to speak. "A proposition of this kind," she said,

in a clear and firm voice, "naturally brings with it, to any young man, and especially a young man of our

Order, some sense of embarrassment. He has been taughtthat is" (here she bent her brows and put on her

glasses at the Professor, who was bowing her head at every period, keeping time with her hands, as if in

deference to the words of the Duchess, and as if they contained truths which could not be suffered to be

forgotten), "if he has been properly taughtthe sacredness of the marriage state, the unworthiness of man,

the duties of submission and obedience, which, when rightly carried out, lead to the higher levels. And in

proportion to the soundness of his training, and the goodness of his heart, is he embarrassed when the time of

his great happiness arrives." The Professor bowed, and spread her hands as if in agreement with so much

wisdom so beautifully expressed. "Lord Chester," continued the Duchess, "I have long watched you in

silence; I have seen in you qualities which, I believe, befit a consort of my rank. You possess pride of birth,

dexterity, skill, grace; you know how to wield such authority as becomes a man. You will exchange your

earl's coronet for the higher one of a duke. I am sure you will wear it worthily. You will" Here

"Permit me, your Grace, to remind you that the Chancellor's decision has not yet been given."

The Duchess sat down frowning. This young lady should be made to feel her resentment. But for the moment

she gave way and scowled, leaning her chin upon her stick. It was a hard face even when she smiled; when

"I see nothing," she said."I see nothing at all in the proposition made by Lady Carlyon to alter my opinion,

previously formed, that the Duchess has made an offer which seems in every way calculated to promote the

"May I ask," said Lord Chester quietly, "if I may express my own views on this somewhat important matter?"

"You?" the Chancellor positively shrieked. "You? The ignorance in which boys are brought up is disgraceful!

A ward in Chancery to express an opinion upon his own marriage! Positively a real ward in Chancery! Is the

The audacity of the remark, and the happy calmness with which it was proffered, were irresistible. All the

ladies, except the Chancellor, laughed. The Duchess loudly. This little escapade of youth and ignorance

amused her. Constance laughed too, with a little pity. The Professor laughed with some show of shame, as if

"Let me resume. It is my duty to consider nothing but the interests of my ward. Very good. I have considered

them. My Lord Chester, in giving your hand to the Duchess of Dunstanburgh, I serve your best and highest

"There is, on the contrary, much more to be said," observed Constance. "I give your ladyship notice of appeal

to the House of Peeresses. I shall appeal to them, and to the nation through them, whether your decision in

this case is reasonable, just, and in accordance with the interests of your ward."

This was, indeed, a formidable threat. An appeal to the House meant, with such fightingpower as Constance

and her party, although a minority, possessed, and knew how to direct, a delay of perhaps six months, even if

the case came on from day to day. Even the practised old Duchess, used to the wordy warfare of the House,

"You will not, surely, Lady Carlyon," she said, "drag your cousin's name into the Supreme Court of Appeal."

"As for the cost, that is my affair; as for the delay, I can waitperhaps longer than your Grace."

The Duchess said no more. Twice had Lady Carlyon insulted her. But her revenge would wait.

"We have already," she said, "occupied too much of the Chancellor's valuable time. I wish your ladyship

"Thank you," she said accepting it, "as far as the carriage door only, for the present. I trust, my lord, that

before long you will have the right to enter the carriage with me. Meanwhile, believe me, that it is not

through my fault that your name is to be made the subject of public discussion. Pending the appeal, let us not

betray, by appearing together, any feeling other than that of pure friendship. And I hope," viciously

Constance simply bowed and said nothing. The Chancellor rose, shook hands with her ward, and retired.

The Duchess leaned upon the strong arm which led her to her carriage, and kissed her hand in farewell to the

young man with so much affection and friendly interest that it was beautiful to behold. After this act of

"Not one word," she replied with troubled brow. "But we must meet no more for a while."

IMPOSSIBLE, of course, that so important a case as the appeal of Lady Carlyon should be concealed. In fact

Constance's policy was evidently to give it as much publicity as possible. She rightly judged that although, in

her own Order, and in the House, which has to look at things from many points of view, motives of policy

might be considered sufficient to override sentimental objections, and it was not likely that much weight

would be attached to a young man's feelings; yet the Duchess had many enemies, even on her own side of the

Houseprivate enemies wounded by her pride and insolencewho would rejoice at seeing her meet with a

check in her selfwilled and selfish course. But, besides the House, there was the outside world to consider.

There was never greater need on the part of the governing caste for conciliation and respect to public

opinions than at this momenta fact perfectly well understood by all who were not blind to the meaning of

things current. The abolition of the Lower House, although of late years it had degenerated into something

noisier than a vestry, something less decorous than a schoolboard in which every woman has her own hobby

of educational methods, had never been a popular act. A little of the old respect for so ancient a House still

survived,a little of the traditional reverence for a Parliament which had once protected the liberties of the

people, still lingered in the hearts of the nation. The immediate relief, it is true, was undoubtedly great when

the noise of electionswhich never ceased, because the House was continually dissolvedthe squabbles

about corruption, the scandals in the House itself, the gossip about the jobs perpetrated by the members, all

ceased at once, and as if by magic the country became silent; yet the pendulum of opinion was going back

againwomen who took up political matters were looking around for an outlet to their activity, and were

already at their clubs asking awkward questions about what they had gained by giving up all the power to

hereditary legislators. Nor did the old plan of sending round official orators to lecture on the advantages of

oligarchical and maternal government seem to answer any longer. The women who used to draw crowded

audiences and frantic applause as they depicted and laid bare the scandals and miseries and ridiculous

squabbles of the Lower House, who pointed to session after session consumed in noisy talk, now shouted to

empty benches, or worse still, benches crowded with listless men, who only sat bored with details in which

they were forbidden to take any part, and therefore had lost all interest. Sometimes the older women would

attend and add a few words from their own experience; or they would suggest, sarcastically, that the Upper

House was going the way of the Lower. As for the younger women, either they would not attend at all, or else

they came to ask questions, shout denials, groan and hiss, or even pass disagreeable resolutions. Constance

knew all this; and though she would have shrunk, almost as much as the Duchess, from lending any aid to

revolutionary designs, she could not but feel that the popular sympathy awakened in her favour at such a

moment as the present might assume such strength as to be an irresistible force.

How could the sympathies of the people be otherwise than on her side? These marriages of old or

middleaged women with young men, common though they had become, could never be regarded by the

youth of either sex as natural. The young women bitterly complained that the lovers provided for them by

equality of age were taken from them, and that times were so bad that in no profession could one look to

marry before forty. The young men, who were not supposed to have any voice in the matter, let it be clearly

known that their continual prayer and daily dream was for a young wife. The general discontent found

expression in songs and ballads, written no one knew by whom: they passed from hand to hand; they were

sung with closed doors; they all had the same motif; they celebrated the loves of two young people, maiden

and youth; they showed how they were parted by the elderly woman who came to marry the tall and gallant

youth; how the girl's life was embittered, or how she pined away, or how she became misanthropic; and how

the young man spent the short remainder of his days in an apathetic endeavour to discharge his duty, fortified

on his deathbed with the consolations of religion and the hopes of meeting, not his old wife, but his old

love, in a better and happier world. Why, there could be nothing but sympathy with Constance and Lord

Chester. Why, all the men, old and young alike, whose influence upon women and popular opinion, though

denied by some, was never doubted by Constance, would give her cause their most active sympathies.

She remained at home that day, taking no other step than to charge a friend with the task of communicating

the intelligence to her club, being well aware that in an hour or two it would be spread over London, and, in

fact, over the whole realm of England. The next day she went down to the House, and had the satisfaction of

finding that the excitement caused by her resignationa ministerial resignation was too common a thing to

cause much talkhad given way altogether to the excitement caused by this great Appeal. No one even took

the trouble of asking who was going to be the new Home Secretary. It was taken for granted that it would be

some friend of the Duchess of Dunstanburgh. The lobbies were crowdedreporters, members of clubs,

dinersout, talkers, were hurrying backwards and forwards, trying to pick up a tolerably trustworthy

anecdote; and there was the va et vient, the nervous activity, which is so much more easily awakened by

personal quarrels than by political differences. And here was a personal quarrel! The young and beautiful

"Yes," said Constance loudly, in answer to a whispered question put by one of her friendsshe may have

observed two or three listeners standing about with eager ears and parted lips"yes, it is all quite true; it was

an understood thing this match with my second cousin. The pretensions of the Duchess rest upon too

transparent a foundationthe poor man's money, my dear. As if she were not rich enough already! as if three

husbands are not enough for any one woman to lament! Thank you; yes, I have not the slightest doubt of the

result. In a matter of good feeling as well as equity one may always depend upon the House, whatever one's

The Duchess certainly had not expected this resistance to her will. In fact, during the whole of her long life

she had never known any resistance at all, except such as befalls every politician. But in her private life her

will was law, which no one questioned or disputed. Nor did it even occur to her to inquire, before speaking to

the Chancellor, whether there would be any rival in the field. Proud as she was, and careless of public opinion

in a general way, it was far from pleasant, even for her, to reflect on the things which would be said of her

proposal when the Appeal was brought before the Houseon the motives which would be assigned or

insinuated by her enemies; on the allusions to youth and agethe more keen the more skilfully they were

disguised and wrapped in soft words; the open pity which would be expressed for the youth whose young

lifeshe knew very well what would be saidwas to be sacrificed; the sarcastic questions which would be

asked about the increase of her property by the new marriage, and so forth. The plain speech of Peeresses in

debate was well known to her. Yet pride forbade a retreat: she would fight it out; she could command, by

ways and by methods only known to herself, a majority; yet she felt sure, beforehand, that it would be a cold

and unsympathetic majorityeven a reproachful majority. Nor was her temper improved by a visit from her

old friend, once her schoolfellow, Lady Despard. She came with a long face, which portended expostulation.

"You have quite made up your mind, Duchess?" she began, without a word of explanation or preamble, but

"I have quite made up my mind." Between such old friends, no need to ask what was intended.

"Lord Chester," said Lady Despard thoughtfully, "who is, no doubt, all that you think himworthy in every

"That," replied the Duchess spitefully, "is my affair. His age need not be considered. I am not afraid of

"Surely, Duchess; I did not mean that. The most powerful mind, coupled with the highest rank,how should

that fail to attract and fix the affection and gratitude of a man? No, dear friend; what I meant was this: he is

too young, perhaps, for the full development either of virtuesor their opposites,too young, perhaps, to

"I think not, Julia," the Duchess spoke kindly,"I think not. It is good of you to consider this possibility in

so friendly a way; but I have the greatest reliance on the good qualities of Lord Chester. Lady Boltons is his

guardian; who would be safer? Professor Ingleby has been his tutor; who could be more discreet?"

"Yes,Professor Ingleby. She is certainly learned; and yet yetat Cambridge there is an uneasy feeling

"I care little," said the Duchess, "about a few wild notions which he may have picked up. On such a man, a

little freedom of thought sits gracefully. A Duke of Dunstanburgh cannot possibly be anything but orthodox.

Yes, Julia; and the sum of it all is that I am getting old, and I am going to make myself happy with the help of

"In that case," said her friend, "I have nothing to say, except that I wish you every kind of happiness that you

"Thank you, Julia. And you will very greatly oblige me if you will mention, wherever you can, that you

know, on the very best authority, that the match will be one of pure affectionon both sides; mind, on both

"I will certainly say so, if you wish," replied Lady Despard. "I think, however, that you ought to know,

Duchess, something of what people sayno, not common people, but people whose opinions even you are

"They say that Lord Chester is so proud of his hereditary title and his rank that he would be brokenhearted

to see it merged in any higher title; that he is too rich and too highly placed to be tempted by any of the

ordinary baits by which men are caught; that you can give him nothing which he cannot buy for himself; and,

lastly, that he is already in love,even that words of affection have been passed between him and the

Here the Duchess interrupted, vehemently banging the floor with the crutch which stood at her right hand.

"Lord Chester in love? What nonsense is this, Julia? A young nobleman of his rankalmost my rankin

love! Are you mad, Julia? Are you softening in the brain? Are you aware that the boy has been properly

brought up? Will you be good enough to remember that Lady Boltons is beyond all suspicion, and that he

"I answer your questions by one or two others," replied her friend calmly. "Are you, Duchess, aware that

these two young people have had constant opportunities of being alone everywherecoming from church,

going to church, in conservatories, at morning parties, at dances, in gardens? Lady Boltons is all discretion;

but stillbut stillgirls will be girlsboys love to flirt. My dear Duchess, we are still young enough to

"This besides. On the very morning when he waited on the Chancellor, he rode to Lady Carlyon's"

"I know the exact particulars," said the Duchess. "Lady Boltons wrote to me on the subject to prevent

misunderstanding. Professor Ingleby, his old tutor, was there. He rode there alone because his guardian could

not go with him. Of course he was properly attended. Lady Carlyon is his second cousin. Properly speaking,

perhaps he should have remained at home until the Professor came to him. But a man of Lord Chester's rank

may do things which smaller men cannot. And, besides, this impulsivenessthis apparent impatience of

conventional restraintseems to me only to prove the pride and dignity of his character. Is that all, Julia?

"I have; there is more behind, and worse. Still, in your present mood, I do not know that I ought to say what I

"Say on, Julia. You know that I wish to hear all. Perhaps there may be something after all. Hide nothing from

"Very good. They say that Lord Chester is, of all men, the least submissive, the least docile, the least

manlyin the highest sense of the word. He habitually assumes authority which belongs to Us; he flies into

violent rages; he horsewhips stableboys; he presumptuously defies orders; he almost openly derides the laws

which regulate man's obedience. He questions he actually questionsthe fundamental principles on which

"Quite as it should be," said the Duchess, folding her hands. "I want my husband to obey no one in the

worldexcept myself: he shall accept no teaching, except mine; no doctrine shall be sacred in his

"Why not? No doubt the stableboys deserve it. We cannot, of course, allow common men to use their

strength in this way. But, my dear, in men of very high rank we should encourage within proper limitsa

masterfulness which is, after all, nothing but the legitimate expression of legitimate pride. What is crime in a

clown or an artisan, is a virtue in Lord Chester; and, believe me, Julia, for my own part, I know how to tame

She folded her hands and set her teeth together. Julia thought of the late three dukes, and trembled.

"No one should know better, dear Duchess. There remains one thing only. You tell me that the proposed

match is to be one of pure affectionon both sides. I am truly rejoiced to hear it. Nothing is better calculated

to allay these silly reports about Lady Carlyon and the Earl. Still you should know that outside people say

"In that case the Earl has declared before witnesses that he will absolutely refuse, whatever the penalty, to

accept your hand. How am I to meet such stories as this? By your authorised statement of mutual affection?"

"Idle gossip, Julia, may be left to itself. The Earl is only anxious to have the matter settled as soon as

possible. Besides, is it in reason that he should have made such a declaration? Why, he knowsevery man

knowsthat such a refusal would be nothing short of contemptcontempt of the Sovereign Majesty of the

Realm. It is punishableay, and it shall be punishedthat is, it should be punished"the face of the

"Then, Duchess," said Lady Despard, with a smile, "I say no more. Of course, a marriage of affection should

be encouraged; and we women are all matchmakers. You will have the best wishes of all as soon as things

"Julia," the Duchess laid her hand upon her friend's arm, "I am unfeignedly glad that you have told me all

this. We have had an explanation which has cleared the air. I refuse to believe that my future husband has so

lost all manly feeling as to fall in love. Imagine an Earl of Chester falling in love like a sentimental rustic!

Your canards about private interviews trouble me not; I am well assured that so wellbred a man will obey

the will of the House without a murmurnay, joyfully, even without consideration of his own inclinations,

which, as I have told you, are already decided. And, upon my honour as a peeress, Julia, I am certain that

when you come to my autumn party at Dunstanburgh in November next, you will acknowledge that the new

Duke is the handsomest bridegroom in the world, that I am the most indulgent wife, and that there is not a

Nothing could be more gracious than the smile of the Duchess when she chose to smile. Lady Despard,

although she knew by this time what the smile was worth, was nevertheless always carried away by it. For the

"My dear Duchess," she cried with effusion, "you deserve happiness for your part; and, upon my word, I

The smile died out from the Duchess's face when she was left alone. A hard, stern look took its place. She

"He is in love with the girl, is he?" she murmured; "and she with him. Why, I saw it in their guilty stolen

looks; her accents betrayed her when she spoke. It is not enough that she must cross me in the House, but she

would rob me of a husband. Not yet, Lady Carlyonnot yet." . . . She looked at herself again. "Oh, that I

could be again what I was at oneandtwenty! It is true, as Julia said, that I have nothing to give the boy in

return for what I ask of himhis affection. I am an old woman sixtyfive years of age. I suppose I have

had my share of love. Harry loved me when I was young: because I was young. Poor Harry! I did not then

know how much he loved me, nor the value of a man's heart. Well . . . as for the other two, they loved me

after their fashionbut it was not like Harry's love; they said they loved me, and in return I gave them all

they wanted. They were happy, and I had to be contented." She mused in silence for a time; then she roused

herself with an effort. "What then? Let them talk. I am the Duchess of Dunstanburgh. She shall have her

whim; she shall have her darling, and if he chooses to sulk, she will punish him until he smiles again. Wait,

my lord, only wait till you are safe on the Northumberland coast, and in my castle of Dunstanburgh."

WOMEN, especially politicians, are (or rather were, until the Revolt) accustomed to the publicity of

photographs, illustrated papers, paragraphs in society papers and to the curiosity with which people stare after

them wherever they show themselves. They used to like it. Men, who were, on the other hand, taught to

respect modest retirement and that graceful obscurity becoming to the masculine hand which carries out the

orders of the female brain, shrank from such notoriety. It was a curious sensation for young Lord Chester to

feel, rather than to see and to hear, the people pointing him out, and talking about him.

"Courage!" whispered the Professor. "You will have to encounter a great deal more curiosity than this before

long. Above all, do not show by any sign or change of expression that you are conscious of their staring."

This was at the Royal Academy. The rooms were crowded with the usual mob, for it was early in June. There

were the country ladiesrosy, fat, and jollycatalogue and pencil in hand, dragging after them husbands,

brothers, sonsruddy, stalwart fellowswho wearily followed from room to room,ignorant of art, and

yet unwilling to be thought ignorant,flocking to any picture which seemed to contain a story or a subject

likely to interest them, such as a horse, or a race, or a match of some kind, and turning away with a

halfconscious feeling that they ought to rejoice in not liking the muchpraised picture, instead of being

ashamed of it, so unlike a horse did they find it, so unfaithful a representation of figure or of action. There

were artistic ladies with their new fashion of dress and pale languid airs, listlessly exchanging the

commonplace of the fashionable school; there were professional ladies, lawyers, and doctors, "doing" all the

rooms between two consultations in an hour; there were schoolgirls from Harrow, yawning over the

Exhibition, which it was a duty they owed to themselves to see early in the season, unless they could get

tickets, which they all ardently desired, for the fortnight's private view; there were shoals of men in little

parties of two and four, escorted by some goodnatured uncle or elderly cousin. The crowd squeezed round

the fashionable pictures; they passed heedlessly before pictures of which nobody talked; they all tried to look

critical; those who pretended to culture searched after strange adjectives; those who did not, said everything

was pretty, and yawned furtively; the ladies whispered remarks to each other, with a quick nod of

intelligence; and they received the feeble criticism of the men with the deferent smile due to politeness, or a

This year there were more than the usual number of pictures in fact, the whole of the fiveandtwenty

rooms were crowded. Fortunately, they were mostly small rooms, and it was remarkable that the same

subjects occurred over and over again. "The same story," said the Professor, "every year. No invention; we

follow like sheep. Here is Judith slaying Holofernes"they were then in the Ancient History

Department"here is Jael slaying Sisera; here are Miriam and Deborah singing their songs of triumph; here

is Joan of Arc raising the siege of Orleans, all exactly the same as when I was a girl forty years ago and

There were a great many altarpieces in the Sacred Department. In these the Perfect Woman was depicted in

every attitude and occupation by which perfection may best be represented. It might have been objected, had

any one so far ventured outside the beaten path of criticism, that the Perfect Woman's dress, her mode of

dressing her hair, and her ornaments were all of the present year's fashion. "As if," said the Professor, the

only one who did venture, "as if no one had any conception of beauty and grace except what fashion orders.

The pictures were mostly allegorical: the Perfect Woman directed Labourrepresented by twenty or thirty

burly young men with implements of various kinds; this was a very favourite subject. Or she led Man

upwards. This was a series of pictures: in the first, Man was a rough rude creature, carrying a club with which

he banged somethingpresumably Brother Man; he gradually improved, until at the end he was depicted as

laying at the altar of womanhood flowers, fruit, and wine, from his own husbandry. By this time he had got

his beard cut off, and was smooth shaven, save for a pair of curly moustaches; his dress was in the fashion of

the day; his eyes were downdropped in reverential awe; and his expression was delightfully submissive,

pious, and b�ate. "Is it," asked Lord Chester, "impossible to be religious without becoming such a creature as

Again, the Perfect Woman sat alone, thinking for the good of the world. She had a star above her head; she

tried, in the picture, not to look as if she were proud of that star. Or the Perfect Woman sat watching, in the

dead of night, in the moonlight, for the good of the world; or the Perfect Woman was revealed to enraptured

man rising from the waves, not at all wet, and clothed in the most beautifullyfashioned and most expensive

modern garments. These two rooms, the Sacred and the Ancient History Departments, were mostly deserted.

The principal interest of the Exhibition was in the remaining threeandtwenty, which were devoted to

general subjects. Here were sweetnesses of flower and fruit, here were lovely creamy faces of male youth,

here were fulllength figures of athletes, runners, wrestlers, jumpers, rowers, cricketplayers, and others,

treated with delicate conventionality, so that the most successful pictures represented man with no more

expression in his face than a barber's block, and the strongest young Hercules was figured with tiny hands or

fingers like a girl's for slimness, for transparency, and for whiteness, and beautifully small feet; on the other

hand, his calves were prodigious. In fact, as was always maintained at the Academy dinner, the Exhibition

was the great educator of the people in the sense of beauty. To know the beautiful, to recognise what should

be delightful, and then take joy in it, was given, it was said, only to those women of culture who had been

trained by a course of Academy exhibitions. Here men, for their part, who would never otherwise rise beyond

the phenomenal to the ideal, learned what was the Perfect Manthe Man of woman's imagination. Having

learned, he might go away and try to resemble him. Women who could not feel, unhappily, the full sense of

the beautiful, might learn from these models into what kind of man they should shape their husbands.

"The drawing of this picture," said the Professor aloud, before a picture round which were gathered a throng

of worshippersfor it was painted by a Royal Academician of great repute"is inaccurate. Did one ever see

a man with such shoulders, and yet with such a waist and such a hand? As for the colouring, it is as false as it

is conventional; and look at the peachlike cheek and the feeble chin! It is the flesh of a weakly baby, not of

There were murmurs of dissent, but no one ventured to dispute the Professor's opinion; and indeed most of

the bystanders had already recognised Lord Chester, and were staring at the hero of so much talk.

"He is betterlooking," he overheard one schoolgirl whispering to another, "than the fellow on the canvas,

The "fellow on the canvas" was, in fact, the Ideal Man. He was meant by the artist to represent the noblest,

tallest, strongest, straightest, and most dexterous of men. He carried a cricketbat. It would have been foolish

to figure him with book, pencil, or paper. Art, literature, science, politics, all belonged to the other sex. Only

his strength was left to man, and that was to be expended by the orders of the superior sex, who were quite

competent to exercise the functions for which they were bornnamely, to think for the world.

Of course, all the artists were women. Once there was a man who, assuming a female name, actually got a

picture exhibited in the Academy. He was a selftaught man it was afterwards discovered; he had never been

in a studio; he had never seen a Royal Academy. He painted an Old Man from nature. There was a faithful

ruggedness about his work which made artists scoff, and yet brought tears to the eyes of country girls who

knew no better. When the trick was discovered, the picture was taken down and burnt, and the wretched

manwho was discovered in a little country cottage, painting two or three more in the same stylewent

mad, and was locked up for the rest of his days. Presently Lord Chester grew tired of the pictures and of the

staring crowd. "I have seen enough, Professor, if you have. They are all exactly like those of last yearthe

gladiators, and the runners, and all. Are we always to go on producing the same pictures?"

"I suppose so," she replied. "They say that the highest point of art has been reached. It would be a change if

we were only to deteriorate for a few years. Meanwhile, one is reminded of the mole, who was asked why he

"He, not she, my lord, replied that science could go no further; and so he goes on building the same shaped

The crowd gathered at the foot of the stairs of the Academy and made a lane for Lord Chester quite to his

carriage. It was a crowd of the best people in England, composed of ladies and gentlemen. Yet was it no

insignificant sign of the times that many a handkerchief was waved to him, that all hats were lifted, and that

one girl's voice was heard crying, "Young men for young wives!" at which there was a general murmur of

In the evening there were the usual engagements of the season, beginning with a lecture on the Arrival at the

Highest Level. The lecturera young Oxford womanwas learned and eloquent, though the subject was, so

to speak, wellnigh threadbare. Yet the discontent of the nation was so great, that it was necessary

continually to raise the courage of the people by showing that if the Ministries failed, it was only because the

right Cabinet had not yet been found. On this night, however, no one listened. All eyes were turned to the

young lord, who, it was everywhere stated, had announced his rebellious intention not to obey the law if Lady

Carlyon's appeal went against her. The men whispered; the elderly ladies assumed airs of virtuous

Then there was a dance, at which Lord Chester was seen, but only for a quarter of an hour, because the rush

made by all the girls who could get an introduction for his name on their cards was almost unseemly. The

In the Park the next afternoon, at the theatre in the evening, the same curiosity of the multitude. Indeed the

play, as happened very often in those days, was entirely neglected. Glasses were levelled at Lord Chester's

box; the whole audience with one consent fell to talking among themselves; the actors went on with the piece

Perhaps the perfection of the drama was the thing on which the new civilisation chiefly prided itself, unless,

indeed, it was the perfection of painting and sculpture already described. The old tragedies, in which women

played the secondary part, were long since consigned to oblivion. The old style of farce, which was simply

brutal, raising laughter by the representation of situations in which one or more persons are made ridiculous,

was absolutely prohibited; the once favourite ballet was suppressed, because it was below the dignity of

woman to dance for the amusement of the people, and because neither men nor women wished to see men

dancing; the comic man naturally disappeared with the farce, because no one ever wrote anything for him. It

was resolved, after a series of letters and discussion in the Academy, the only literary paper leftit owed its

continued existence to the honourable associations of its early yearsthat laughter was for the most part

vulgar; that it always rudely disturbed the facial lines; that to make merriment for others was quite beneath

the notice of an educated woman; and that the drama must be severe, and even austerea school for women

and for men. Such it was sought to make it, with as yet unsatisfactory results, because the common people,

finding nothing to laugh at, came no more to the theatre; and even the better class, who wanted to be amused,

When, therefore, the curtain fell, the scanty audience rushed to the doors of the house, and there was

something very much like a demonstration, a report of which, the Professor felt with pleasurable emotion,

The next day there came a letter to Lady Boltonswho was still confined to her room with goutfrom no

less a person than the Duchess of Dunstanburgh, suggesting that the publicity thrust upon Lord Chester

through the unconstitutional action of his cousin might produce an injurious effect upon a mind so young. In

other words, her Grace was already sensible of the sympathy which was growing up for what was believed to

be a love affair, cruelly blighted by herself. If Lord Chester was kept in retirement until the case was decided,

he would, perhaps be forgotten. As for Lady Carlyon, the Duchess rightly judged that the sympathy which

No doubt she was right, but unfortunately she was too late. The young Earl had been seen everywhere; his

story, much altered and improved, was in everybody's mouth; his likeness was in all the shop windows, side

by side with that of Lady Carlyon, or, as if to give emphasis to the difference between the two suitors, he was

placed with the Duchess on his left and Lady Carlyon on his right. The young men envied him because he

was so rich, so handsome, and so gallant; the young ladies looked and sighed. He was nearer the Ideal Man

than any they had ever seen; his bold and daring eyes struck them with a kind of awe, which they thought was

due to his rank, ignorant of the manhood in those eyes, which attracted and yet daunted them. They bought

his photograph by thousands, and spent their leisure hours, or even the hours of study, when they ought to

have been "mugging bones," or drawing contracts, or reading theology, in gazing upon that remarkable

presence. Older ladies those who had established positions and could think of marriagewished that such

young men were within their reach; and very old ladies, looking at the photograph with admiring eyes, would

wag their heads, and tell their grandsons how their grandfather, dead and gone, had been just such another as

Lord Chesterso handsome, so strong, so brave, and yet withal the most dutiful and obedient of husbands.

They did not explain how the virtue of submission was compatible with such frank and fearless eyes.

The mischief, therefore, was done. So far as the sympathies of the people were concerned, Constance could

Lord Chester appeared no more in public. He went to none of the cricketmatches and athletics which made

the season so lively; nor was he seen at any balls or dinners; nor did he ride in the Row. He was kept in

almost monastic seclusion, a few companions only being invited to play tennis on his own lawns. But the

Professor was with him constantlyLady Boltons continuing to be laid up with her goutand they had long

talks in the gardens, sitting beneath the shade of the trees, or walking on the lawns. During these

conversations the young man would clench his fist and stamp his foot with rage; or his eyes would kindle,

and he would stretch out his right hand as if moved beyond control. And he became daily more masterful,

insomuch that the women were afraid of him, and the men servantswhom he had cuffed until they

respected himlaughed, seeing the dismay of the women. Never any man like him! "Why," said the butler, a

most respectable old lady, "if he goes on like this, he'll be like the Duchess of Dunstanburgh herself. She'll

have a handful, whichever o' their ladyships gets him. Beer, my lord? At twelve o'clock in the morning! It

isn't good for your lordship. Better waitoh dear, dear! Yes, my lord, in one minute."

One afternoon, towards the end of June, a little party had been made up for his amusement. It consisted of

half a dozen young men of his own age, and a few ladies whose age more nearly approached that of the

Professor. The young men played one or two matches of tennis, changed their flannels for morning dress, and

joined the ladies at afternoon tea. The one topic of conversation possible at the moment was forbidden in that

house: it was, of course, that of the great Appeal, and how some said that the Countess wanted it pushed on,

so as to take advantage of the public sympathy, and the Duchess wanted it delayed, so as to give this feeling

time to cool down; but the Duchess had sworn by everything dear to her that she would marry the young lord

whether the House gave a decision in her favour or not; how Lady Carlyon declared that she would carry him

off under the very nose of the Duchess; with a thousand other canards, rumours, little secrets, whispers on the

best authority, and so forth. As, of course, that could not be entered upon in Lord Chester's own house, the

afternoon was dull to the ladies. They pumped the Professor artfully, but learned nothing. She was

enthusiastic in her praises of her pupil, but was reticent about his previous relations, if any, with either of his

suitors; nor would she reveal anything, if she knew anything, about his inclinationsif he had any

preference. As for his character, she spoke openly; he was certainly,well, say masterfulthat could not be

deniedin a way which would be unbecoming in a man below his rank; as for his religion, no one could

more truly love and revere the Perfect Woman than did Lord Chester; as for his abilities, they were far

beyond the common: and for his reading, "I have always considered," said the Professor, "his rank as of more

importance than his sex; and though I have, perhaps, given him a wider and deeper education than is

generally considered prudent for the masculine brain, I believe it will be found, in the longrun, a course

productive of great good. In fact," she whispered, "I believe that Lord Chester is a man likely to be the father

of daughters, illustrious not only by their birth, but also by their strength of intellect and force of character."

"No man," said one of the guestsone of those persons who always know how to find the right

commonplace at the right time,"no man can have a more worthy object of ambition. To sink himself in the

family, to work for them, to reproduce his own virtues in their higher feminine form in his own daughters,

"But he can't," cried anotherone of those persons who always say the wrong things,"he can't if he

"Hush!" said the Professor. "My dear madam, we were talking, I think, about Lord Chester's character. Yes,

"But is he," asked another lady, "is he quiteare you sure of what you say, Professor, about his orthodoxy?"

Professor Ingleby smiled. All smiled, indeed, because her own faith had been greatly suspected, as everybody

"As sure," she said, "as I am of my own. Oh! I know what wicked people have hinted at Cambridge. But

wait; have patience; I will before long prove my religious convictions, and satisfy the world once for all, in a

way that will perhaps astonish, but certainly convince everybody, what my faith really is, and how truly

Then the young men appeared, and they began to talk about the games over their tea. Presently they pressed

Lord Chester to sing. No one had a better voice, or sang with greater expression. He refused at first, on the

ground of being tired of the words of all his songs, but gave way and sang, with a laughing protest at the

sentiment of the song and the inanity of the words, the following ballad, just then popular: "Through sweet

And all for the lad she would wed! "He listened in silence, as young men should,

"The air is not bad," said the singer, when he had finished, rising from the piano, "but the words are

ridiculous. As if he were likely to care for a woman eighteen years his senior!"

These words fell among them like a bomb. There was a dead silence. No one dared raise her eyes except the

"The songs are all alike now. A young fellow gets made love to, and is engaged, and then thrown over. Then

he breaks his heart. In real life he would have called for his horse and galloped off his disappointment."

"Come, Sir George," said the Professor, "you must allow us a little sentimentsome belief in man's heart,

else life would be too dull. For my own part, I find the words touching and true to nature."

"How would it do?" asked Lord Chester, smiling, "to invert the thing? Could we have a ballad showing how a

young ladyshe must be youngpined away and died for love of a man who broke his promise?"

They all laughed at this picture, but the young men looked as if Lord Chester had said something wonderful

in its audacity. Most certainly, thought the Professor, his words would be quoted in all the clubs that very

day. And whatoh! what would the Duchess say? And although she had no legitimate power over the ward

There was one young fellow present, a certain Algy Dunquerque, who entertained an affection for Lord

Chester amounting almost to worship. No one was like him; none so strong, so dexterous, so good at games;

They were talking together in a low whisper, unregarded by the ladies, who were talking loudly.

"Algy," said Lord Chester, "you said once that you would come to me if ever I asked you, and stand by me as

THE NEXT day was Sunday, and of course Lord Chester went to church with the Professor, who was always

The congregation was large, and principally composed of men. The service was elaborate, and the singing

good. Perhaps the incense was a little too strong, and there was some physical fatigue in the frequent changes

of posture. Nothing, however, could have been more splendid than the procession with banners, which closed

the service; nothing sweeter than the voices of the whiterobed singinggirls. It was a large and beautiful

church, with painted glass, pictures having lights burning before them; and the altar, on which stood the

The sermon was preached by the Dean of Westminster, whose eloquence and fervour were equalled by her

scholarship. No one, except perhaps, Professor Ingleby, was better read in ecclesiastical history, or knew

more about the beginnings of the New Religion. She had written a book, showing from ancient literature how

the germs of the religion were dormant even in the old barbaric times of man's supremacy. Even so far back

as the Middle Ages men delighted to honour Woman. Every poet chose a mistress for his devotion, and

ignorantly worshipped the type in the Individual. Every knight became servant and slave to one woman, in

whose honour his noblest deeds were done. Even the worship of the Divine Man became, first in Catholic

countries, and afterwards in England, through a successful conspiracy of certain socalled "ritualists," the

worship of the Mother and Child. At all times the effigies of the virtues, Faith, Hope, Love, had been figures

of women. The form of woman had always stood for the type, the standard, the ideal of the Beautiful. The

woman had always been the dispenser of gifts. The woman had always been richly dressed. Men worked their

hardest in order to pour their treasures into the lap of woman. All the reverence, all the poetry, all the

imagination with which the lower nature of man was endowed, had been freely spent and lavished in the

service of woman. From his earliest infancy, women surrounded, protected, and thought for men. Why, what

was this, what could this mean, but a foreshadowing, an indication, a revelation, by slow and natural means,

of the worship of the Perfect Woman, dimly comprehended as yet, but manifesting its power over the heart?

The Dean handled this, her favourite topic, in the pulpit this morning with singular force and eloquence. After

touching on the invisible growth of the religion, she painted a time of anarchy, when men had given up their

old beliefs and were like childrenonly children with weapons in their handscrying out with fear in the

darkness. She told how women, at last assuming their true place, substituted, little by little, the true, the only

faiththe Worship of the Perfect Woman, the Feminine Divinity of Thought, Purpose, and Production. She

pointed out how, by natural religion, man was evidently marked out for the second or lower creature,

although, by the abuse of his superior strength, he had wrested the authority and used it for his own purposes.

He was formed to execute, he was strong, he was the Agent. Woman, on the other hand, was the

motherthat is to say, the Creative Thought; that is, the Sovereign Ruler. In the animal creation, again, it is

the male who works, while the female sits and directs. And even in such small points as the gender of things

inanimate, everything of grace, usefulness, or beauty was, and always had been, feminine. Then she argued

from the natural quickness and intelligence of women, and from the corresponding dullness of men, from the

lower instincts of men compared with the spiritual nature of women; and she showed how, when women took

their natural place in the government of the nation, laws were for the first time framed on sound and

economical principles, and for the benefit of man himself. Finally, in a brilliant peroration, she called upon

her male hearers to defend, even to the death if necessary, the principles of their religion; she warned the

women that a spirit of questioning and discontent was abroad; she exhorted the men to find their true

happiness in submission to authority; and she drew a vivid picture of the poor wretch who, beginning with

doubt and disobedience, went on to wifebeating, atheism, and despair, both of this world and the next.

The sermon lasted nearly an hour. The Dean never paused, never hesitated, was never at a loss. Yet,

somehow she failed to affect her hearers. The women looked idly about them, the men stared straight before

them, showing no response, and no sympathy. One reason of this apathy was that the congregation had heard

it all before, and so often, that it ceased to move them; the priestesses of the Faith, in their ardour,

endeavouring constantly to make men intelligent as well as submissive supporters, overdid the preaching, and

by continual repetition ruined the effect of their earnest eloquence, and reduced it to the level of rhetorical

"I think," said Lord Chester, "that I could preach a sermon the other way round."

"I mean that I could just as well show how natural religion intended man to be both agent and contriver."

"I think," said the Professor, "that such a sermon had better not be preached, at least, just yet. It was rather a

risky thing to make that remark of yours about the ballad which you sang yesterday. Such a sermon as you

contemplate would infallibly land its composereven Lord Chesterin a prisonand for life."

"Of late," he replied. "Yes, this perpetual admonition about Authority worries me. Why should we accept

statements on Authority? I have been looking through the textbooks, and I conclude"

"Pray do not tell me," she interrupted laughing. "For the present, let me not know the nature of your

conclusions. But, Lord Chester, for your own sake, for every one's sake, be guarded be silent." She pressed

his arm; he nodded gravely, but made no reply. When they reached home they learned that the Chancellor

herself was waiting to see Lord Chester. She wished to see the Professor as well.

The Chancellor was in a great worry and fidgetas if this unhappy business of the Appeal was not enough

for herbecause, whatever decision was arrived at by the House, she would have to defend her own, and

there was little doubt that her enemies would not lose so good a chance of attacking her; and now the boy

"I must say, Lord Chester," she began irritably, "that a little respectI say a little respectis due to a person

"Had I known your ladyship's wish to see me, I would have saved you the trouble of corning here, and waited

"Church!" she repeated in mockery; "what is the good of people going to church if they fly in the face of all

religion? Do not answer me, pray. Your lordship thinks yourself, I know, a privileged person. You are to say,

and to do, anything you please. But I am the Chancellor, remember, and your guardian. Now, sir, I learn that

you make dangerous, revolutionary remarksyou made one yesterdayopenly, on the impossibility of a

"Pardon me," said Lord Chester; "I did not say the impossibility of marrying, but of loving, a woman twenty

"The distinction shows the unhappy condition of your mind. To marry a woman is to love her. What would

the boy want? what would he have? Professor Ingleby, have you anything to advise? He is your pupil. You

"With your ladyship's permission," replied the Professor softly, "I would venture to suggest that, considering

recent events, it would be much better for Lord Chester to be out of London as soon as possible."

"If your ladyship will entrust your noble ward to my care," continued the Professor, "I will undertake the

The Chancellor reflected. The plan seemed the best. Since Lady Boltons was ill, there was really no one to

look after the young man, while, at the present moment of excitement, it seemed most desirable that he

should be out of town. If the boy was to go on talking in this way about old women and young men, there

was no telling what might not happen; and the Duchess would be pleased with such an arrangement. That

"If you really can take charge of himyou could draw on Lady Boltons for whatever you like, in reason,it

does seem the best thing to do. Yeshe would be safer out of the way. When can you start?"

"Very good; then we will settle it so. You will accompany Professor Ingleby, Lord Chester; you will consider

her as your guardianandand all that. And for Heaven's sake, let us have no more folly!"

She touched his fingers with her own, bowed slightly to the Professor, and left them.

"My dear boy," said the Professor, when the door was shut, "I foresee a great opportunity. And as for that

"You may begin to compose it as soon as you please, and on the road I will help you. Meantime, hold your

There was really nothing very remarkable in Lord Chester's leaving London even at the height of the season.

Most of the athletic meetings were over; it was better to be in the country than in town: a young man of

twoandtwenty is not supposed to take a very keen delight in dinnerparties. Had it not been for the Appeal

and the way in which people occupied themselves in every kind of gossip over Lord Chesterwhat he said,

how he looked, and what he hopedhe might have left town without the least notice being taken. As it was,

his departure gave rise to the wildest rumours, not the least wild being that the Duchess, or, as some said, the

Without troubling themselves about rumours and alarms of this kind, the Professor and her pupil drove away

in the forenoon of Monday. The air was clear and cool; there was a fresh breeze, a warm sun, and a sky

flecked with light clouds. The leaves on the trees were at their best, the four horses were in excellent

condition. What young fellow of twoandtwenty would have felt otherwise than happy at starting on a

"There is only one thing wanting," he said, as they finally cleared the houses, and were bowling along the

"Constance," he replied boldly; "she ought to be with us to complete my happiness."

"A most unmanly remark," she said. "How can you reconcile it with the precepts of morality? Have you not

been taught the wickedness of expressing, even of allowing yourself to feel an inclination for any young

"It is your fault, my dear Professor. You have taught me so much, that I have left off thinking of unmanliness

"I have taught you," she replied gravely, "things enough to hang myself and send you to the Tower for life.

"I began by making you discontented. I allowed you to discover that everything is not so certain as boys are

taught to believe. I put you in the way of reading, and I opened your mind to all sorts of subjects generally

"You certainly did, and you are a most crafty as well as a most beneficent Professor."

"You have gradually come to understand that your own intellect, the average intellect of Man, is really equal

to the consideration of all questions, even those generally reserved and set apart for women."

"The purpose is not mine. It is that of a wiser and greater being than myself, whose will I carry out and whom

"No," she replied; "the being whom I obey and reverence is none other thanmy own husband."

"My husband. Yes, Lord Chester, you may now compose that sermon which shall show how Man is the Lord

and Master of all created things, includingWoman. I told you I would help you in your sermon. Listen."

All that day they drove through the fair garden, which we call England. Along the road they passed the rustics

haymaking in the fields; the country women were talking at their doors; the country doctor was plodding

along her daily round; the parson was jogging along the wayside, umbrella in hand, to call upon her old

people; the country police in blue bonnets, carrying their dreaded pocketbooks, were loitering in couples

about crossroads; the farmer drove her cart to market, or rode her cob about the fields; little girls and boys

carried dinner to their fathers. Here and there they passed a countryseat, a village with its street of cottages,

or they clattered through a small sleepy town with its row of villas and its quiet streets, where the men sat

working at the windows in hopes of getting a chat or seeing something to break the monotony of the day.

The travellers saw, but noted nothing. For the Professor was teaching her pupil things calculated to startle

even the Duchess, and at which Constance would have trembledthings which made his cheek to glow, his

eyes to glisten, his mouth to quiver, his hands to clench;things not to be spoken, not to be whispered, not to

be thought, this Professor openly, boldly, and without shame, told the young man.

"I might have guessed it," he said. "I had already half guessed it. And thisthis is the reason why we are

"Hush! calm yourself. The thing was not done in a day. The system was not invented by conscious hypocrites

and deceivers; it grew, and with it the new religion, the new morality, the new order of things. Blame no one,

She went on. Each word, each new fact, tore something from him that he would have believed part of his

nature. Yet he had been prepared for this day by years of training, all designed by this crafty woman to arm

"What you see," she said, as they drove through a village, "seems calm and happy. It is the calmness of

repression. Those men in the fields, those working men sitting at the windows they are all alike unhappy,

and they know not why. It is because the natural order has been reversed; the sex which should command and

create is compelled to work in blind obedience. You will see, as we go on, that we, who have usurped the

power, have created nothing, improved nothing, carried on nothing. It is for you, Lord Chester, to restore the

"I have trusted you," the Professor went on, "from the very first. Bon sang ne peut mentir. Yet it was wise not

to hurry matters. Your life, and my own life too, if that matters much, hang upon the success of my design.

Nothing could have happened more opportunely than the Duchess's proposal. Why? on the one hand, a sweet,

charming, delightful girl; and on the other, a repulsive, badtempered old woman. While your blood is

aflame with love and disgust, Lord Chester, I tell you this great secret. We have three months before us. We

must use it, so that in less than two we shall be able to strike, and to strike hard. You are in my hands. We

Their first halt was Windsor. Here, after ordering dinner, the Professor took her pupil to visit Eton. It was

halfholiday, and the girls were out of school. Some were at the Debating Society's rooms, where a political

discussion was going on; some were strolling by the river under the grand old elms; some were reading

novels in the shade; some were lying on the bank talking and laughing. It was a pleasant picture of happy

"Look at these buildings," said the Professor, taking up a position of vantage. "They were built by one of your

ancestors, beautified by another, repaired and enlarged by another. This is the noblest of the old

"Have my lessons borne so little fruit that you should ask that question?" The Professor looked disappointed.

"My dear boy, they played in the playingfields, they swam and rowed in the river, they studied in the

school, they worshipped in the chapel. When it was resolved to divide the endowments, women naturally got

the first choice, and they chose Eton. Afterwards the boys' public schools fell gradually into decay, and bit by

bit they were either closed or became appropriated by girls. There was once a famous school at a place called

Rugby. That died. The Lady of the Manor, I believe, gradually absorbed the revenues. Harrow and

Marlborough fell in, after a few years, for girls. You see, when once mothers realised the dangers of public

"That they would become masterful, Lord Chester, like yourself; that they would use their strength to recover

their old supremacy; that they would discover"here she sank her voice, although they were not within

earshot of any one"that they would discover how strength of brain goes with strength of muscle."

She led the young man back across the river to the Windsor side. On the way they passed an open gate; over

the gate was written "Select school for young gentlemen." Within was a gymnasium, where a dozen boys

"As for your education," said the Professor, "we have discovered that the best chance for the world is for a

boy to be taught three things. He must learn religioni.e. submission, and the culture of Perfect

Womanhood; he must learn a trade of some kind, unless he belongs to the aristocracy, so as not to be

necessarily dependent; and he must be made healthy, strong, and active. History will credit us with one thing,

It wanted an hour of dinner. The Professor, who was never tired, led her pupil over such portions of the old

"This was once yours," she said. "This is the castle of your ancestors. Courage, my lord; you shall win it

It was in a dream that the young man spent the rest of the evening. The Professor had ordered a simple yet

dainty dinner, consisting of a Thames trout, a Ch�teaubriand, quails, and an omelette, with some Camembert

cheese, but her young charge did scanty justice to it. After dinner, when the coffee had been brought, and the

door was safely shut, the Professor continued the course of lectures on ancient history, by which she had

already upset the mind of her pupil, and filled his brain with dreams of a revolution more stupendous than

Their next day's drive brought them to Oxford. It was vacation, and the colleges were empty. Only here and

there a solitary figure of some lonely Fellow or Lecturer, lingering after the rest had gone, flitted across the

lawns. The solitude of the place pleased the Professor. She could ramble with her pupil about the venerable

"What is it now?" asked her disciple, surprised. "Is not Oxford still the seat of learning?"

"You must readalas! you would not understand themthe old books before you can answer your own

question. What is their political economy, their moral philosophy, their social scienceof which they make

so great a boastcompared with the noble scholarship, the science, the speculation of former days? How can

I make you understand? There was a time when everything was advancedby men. Science must advance or

fall back. We took from men their education, and science has been forgotten. We cannot now read the old

books; we do not understand the old discoveries; we cannot use the tools which they invented, the men of

old. Mathematics, chemistry, physical science, geologyall these exist no longer, or else exist in such an

elementary form as our ancestors would have been ashamed to acknowledge. Astronomy, which widened the

heart, is neglected; medicine has become a thing of books; mechanics are forgotten"

"Because women, who can receive, cannot create; because at no time has any woman enriched the world with

a new idea, a new truth, a new discovery, a new invention; because we have undertaken the impossible."

The Professor was silent. Never before had Lord Chester seen her so deeply moved.

"Oh, Sacred Learning!" she cried, "we have sinned against thee! We poor women in our conceit think that

everything may be learned from books: we worship the Ideal Woman, and we are content with the rags of

learning which remain from the work of Man. Yes, we are contented with these scraps. We will accept

nothing that is not absolutely certain. Therefore we blasphemously and ignorantly say that the last word has

"Mankind is surrounded," the Professor went on as if talking to herself, "by a high wall of black ignorance

and mystery. The wall is for ever receding or closing in upon us. The men of the past pushed it back more

and more, and widened continually the boundaries of thought, so that the foremost among them were godlike

for knowledge and for a love of knowledge. We women of the present are continually contracting the wall, so

"How can I help to restore knowledge," asked the young man, "being myself so ignorant?"

There was a university sermon in the afternoon, being the feast of St. Cecilia; they looked in, but the church

was empty. In vacation time one hardly expects more than two or three resident lecturers with their husbands

and boys, and a sprinkling of young men from the town. The, sermon was dull perhaps Lord Chester's

mind was out of sympathy with the subject; it treated on the old wellworn lines of Woman as the Musician.

"I will show you at Cambridge," said the Professor when they came out, "some of the music of the past. What

are the feeble strains, the oftrepeated phrases of modern music, compared with the grand old music

"I think," said the Professor as they were driving smoothly along the road, "that they did wrong in not trying

to maintain the old railways. True there were many accidents, and sometimes great loss of life; yet it must

have been a convenience to get from London to Liverpool in five hours. To be sure the art of making engines

is dead: such arts could not survive when their new system of separate labour was introduced."

They passed the old tracks of the railways from time to time, now long canals grassgrown, and now high

embankments covered with trees and bushes. There were black holes, too, in the hillsides through which the

"The country in the nineteenth century," said the Professor, "was populous and wealthy; but it would be at

first terrible for one of us to see and to live in. From end to end there were great factories driven by

steamengines, in which men worked in gangs, and from which a perpetual black cloud of smoke rose to the

sky; trains ran shrieking along the iron roads with more clouds of smoke and steam. The results of the work

were grand; but the workmen were uncared for, and killed by the long hours and the foul atmosphere. I talk

like a woman"she checked herself with a smile,"and I want to talk so that you shall feel like a manof

"There is one point of difference between man's and woman's legislation which I would have you bear in

mind. Man looks to the end, woman thinks of the means. If man wanted a great thing done, he cared little

about the sufferings of those who did that thing. A great railway had to be built; those who made it perished

of fever and exposure. What matter? The railway remained. A great injustice had to be removed; to remove it

cost a war, with death to thousands. Man cared little for the deaths, but much for the result. Man was like

Nature, which takes infinite pains to construct an insect of marvellous beauty, and then allows it to be

crushed in thousands almost as soon as born. Woman, on the other hand, considers the means."

They came, after three days' posting, to Manchester. They found it a beautiful city, situated on a clear

sparkling stream, in the midst of delightful rural scenery, and regularly built after the modern manner in

straight streets at right angles to each other: the air was peculiarly bright and bracing. "I wanted very much,"

said the Professor, "to show you this place. You see how pretty and quiet a place it is; yet in the old times it

had a population of half a million. It was perpetually black with smoke; there were hundreds of vast factories

where the men worked from six in the morning until six at night. Their houses were hutsdirty, crowded

nests of fever; their sole amusements were to smoke tobacco and to drink beer and spirits; they died at thirty

worn out; they were of sickly and stunted appearance; they were habitual wifebeaters; they neglected their

children; they had no education, no religion, no hopes, no wishes for anything but plentiful pipe and beer. See

it now! The population reduced to twenty thousand; the factories swept away; the machinery destroyed; the

men working separately each in his own house, making cotton for home consumption. Let us walk through

These were broad, clean, and well kept. Very few persons were about. A few women lounged about the

Court, or gathered together on the steps of the Town Hall, where one was giving her opinions violently on

politics generally; some stood at the doorways talking to their neighbours; in the houses one could hear the

steady clickclick of the loom or spinningjenny, as the man within, or the man and his sons, sat at their

"I do not know what to say," he replied. "You ask me, after all that you have taught me, to a admire a system

"It began," the Professor went on, without answering him directly, "with the famous law of the `Clack'

Parliamentthat in which there were three times as many women as menwhich enacted that wives should

receive the wages of their husbands on Monday morning, and that unmarried men, unless they could be

represented by mothers or sisters, or other female relations of whom they were the support, should be paid in

kind, and be housed separately in barracks provided for the purpose, where discipline could be maintained. It

was difficult at first to carry this legislation into effect: the men rebelled; but the law was enforced at last.

That was the deathblow to the male supremacy. Woman, for the first time, got possession of the purse. What

was done in Manchester was followed in other places. Young man, the spot you stand on is holy, or the

reverse, whichever you pleas, because it is the birthplace of woman's sovereignty.

"Presently it began to be whispered abroad that the hours were too long, the work too hard, and the

association of men together in such large numbers was dangerous. Then, little by little, wives withdrew their

husbands from the works, mothers their sons, and set them up with spinningjennies and looms at home.

Handmade cotton was protected; the machinemade was neglected. Soon the machines were silent and the

factories closed; in course of time they were pulled down. Then other improvements followed. The

population was enormously diminished, partly by the new laws which forbade the marriage of unhealthy or

deformed men, and only allowed women to choose husbands when they had themselves obtained a certificate

of good health and good conduct. Formerly the men married at nineteen; by the new laws they were

compelled to wait until fourandtwenty; then, further, to wait until they were asked; and lastly, if they were

asked, to obtain a certificate of soundness and freedom from any complaint which might be transmitted to

children. Therefore, as few of the Manchester workmen were quite free from some form of disease, the

"I am telling you the history of the place," replied the Professor. "Marriage being thus almost impossible, the

Manchester women emigrated and the workmen stayed where they were, and gradually the weakly ones died

out. As for the present Manchester man, you shall see him on Sunday when he goes to church."

They stayed in this pleasant and countrified town for some days. On Sunday they went to the cathedral, and

attended the service, which was conducted by the Bishop herself and her principal clergy. As the Bishop

preached, Lord Chester looked about him, and watched the men. They were mostly a tall and handsome race,

though, in the middleaged men, the labour at the spindles had bowed their shoulders and contracted their

chests. Their faces, however, like those of the London congregation, were listless and apathetic; they paid

little heed to the sermon, yet devoutly knelt, bowed, and stood up at the right places. They seemed neither to

feel nor to take any interest in life. Some of the women looked as if they interpreted the law of marital

Lord Chester looked with a certain special curiosity at a regiment of young unmarried workmen. He had

often enough before watched such a regiment passing to and from church, but never with such interest. For in

They were mostly quite young, and naturally presented a more animated appearance than their married elders.

Those of them who came from the country, or had no parents, were kept in a barrack under strict rule and

discipline, having prescribed hours for gymnastics, exercises, and recreation, as well as for labour.

They were not all boys. Among them marched those whom unkind Nature or accident had set apart as

condemned to celibacy. These were the consumptive, the asthmatic, the crippled, the humpbacked, the

deformed; those who had inherited diseases of lung, brain, or blood; the unfortunates who could not marry,

and who were, therefore, cared for with what was officially known as kindness. These poor creatures

presented the appearance of the most hopeless misery. At other times Lord Chester would have passed them

by without a thought. He knew now how different would have been their lot under a government which did

not call itself maternal. Neither boys nor incurables received pay, and the surplus of their work was devoted

to the great Mother's Sustentation Fund, or, as it was called for short, the Mother's Tax. This was intended to

supplement the wages earned by the husband at home in case of insufficiency. But the wives were exhorted

and admonished to take care of their husbands, and keep them constantly at work.

"They do take care of them," said the Professor. "They make them clean up house, cook meals, and look after

the children, as well as carry on their trade; while they themselves wrangle over politics in the street or in

some of the squabblehalls, which are always open. The men never go out except on Sundays; they have no

"No; because if they were slaves to their wheels, they were slaves who worked in gangs, and they sometimes

"Is there nothing good at all?" cried the young man. "Would you make a revolution, and upset everything? As

"Say nothing," said the Professor, "about religion till I have shown you the old one. Yes; there was once

something grander than anything you can imagine. We women, who have belittled everything, have even

They passed a couple of young men wending their way to the gymnasium with racquets in their hands.

"They are the sons of the doctor or lawyer, I suppose," said the Professor looking after them. "Fine young

fellows! But what are we to do with them? The law says that every boy, except the son of a peeress, shall

learn a trade. No doubt these boys have learned a trade, but they do not practise it. They stay at home idle, or

they spend their days in athletics. Some time or other they will marry a woman in their own rank, and then

the rest of their lives will be devoted to managing the house and looking after the children, while their wives

The next day they left Manchester, and proceeded on their journey. At Liverpool they saw seven miles of

splendid old docks, lining the banks of the river; but there were no ships. The trade of the old days had long

since left the place: it was a small town now with a few fishing smacks. The Professor enlarged upon the

"I do not know. That is nowhere stated. I imagine there used to be happiness of a kind for men in forming

part of a busy hive. At least the other planour plandoes not seem to produce much solid happiness. . . ."

Gradually Lord Chester was being led to think less of the individual and more of his work. But it took time to

At Liverpool they visited the convictprisonthe largest prison in England. It was that prison specially

devoted to the worst class of criminalsthose undergoing life sentences for wifebeating. They found a

place surrounded by a high wall and a deep ditch; they were admitted, on the Professor showing a pass,

through a door at which a dozen female warders were sitting on duty. One of them was told off to conduct

them round the prison. The convicts, coarsely clad in sackcloth, were engaged in perpetually doing

unnecessary and profitless worksome dug holes which others filled up again; some carried heavy weights

up ladders and down again,there was the combined cruelty of monotony, of uselessness, and of excessive

toil. In this prison because physical force is necessary for men of violencethey had men as well as

women for warders. These were stationed at intervals, and were armed with loaded guns and bayonets. It was

well known that there was always great difficulty in persuading men to take this place, or to keep them when

there. Mostly they were criminals of less degree, who purchased their liberty by becoming, for a term of

"No punishment too bad for wifebeaters," said the Professor when they came away. "What punishment is

there for women who make slaves of their husbands, lock them up, kill them with work? or for old women

"You must clear out that den," she went on, after a pause. "A good many men are imprisoned there on the

sole unsupported charge of their wivesinnocent, no doubt; and if not innocent, then they have been

Lord Chester was being led gradually to regard himself, not as an intending rebel, but as a great reformer.

Always the Professor spoke of the future as certain, and of his project, yet vague without a definite plan, as of

They left the dreary and deserted Liverpool, with its wretched convictprison. They drove first across the

country, which had once been covered with manufacturing towns, now all reduced to villages; they stopped at

little country inns in places where there yet lingered traditions of former populousness, they passed

sometimes gaunt ruins of vast brick buildings which had been factories; the roads were quiet and little used;

the men they met were chiefly rustics going to or returning from their work; there was no activity, no traffic,

"First release your men; let them work together; let them be taught; the old creative energy will waken again

in the brains of men, and life will once more go forward. It will be for you to guide the movement when you

As their Journey drew to a conclusion, the Professor gave utterance, one by one, to several maxims of great

"There is no love without imagination. Now the imagination cannot put forth its flowers but for the sake of

"It is better to advance the knowledge of the world one inch than to win the longjump with twoandtwenty

"Better vice than repression. A drunken man may be a lesson to keep his fellows sober."

"The Higher Intelligence is a phrase that must be transferred, not lost sight of."

"Men who are happy laughthey must laugh. Women, who have never felt the necessity of laughter, have

And so, with many other parables, dark sayings, and direct teachings, the wise woman brought her disciple to

PROFESSOR INGLEBY lived on the Trumpington Road, about a mile and a quarter from the Senate House.

Her residence was a large and handsome house shut in by a high wall, with extensive grounds, and

surrounded by high trees, so that no one could see the garden from the main road. The house was a certain

mystery to the girls who on Sundays took their constitutional to Trumpington and back. Some said that the

Professor was ashamed of her husband, which was the reason why he was never seen, not even at Church;

others said that she kept him in such rigid discipline that she refused the poor man permission even to walk

outside the grounds of the house. Her two daughters, who regularly came to church with their mother, were

pretty girls, but had a submissive gentle look quite strange among the turbulent young spirits of the

University. They were never seen in society; and for some reason unknown to anybody except herself, the

Professor refused to enter them at any college. Meantime no one was invited to the house: when one or two

ladies tried to break through the reserve so strangely maintained by the most learned Professor in the

University, and left their cards, the visit was formally returned by the Professor herself, accompanied by one

of her girls. But things went no further, and invitations were neither accepted nor returned. It is therefore not

surprising that this learned woman, who seemed guided by none of the motives which influence most

womenwho was not ambitious, who refused rank, who desired not moneygradually came to bear a

mythical character. She was represented as an ogre: the undergraduates, always fond of making up stories,

amused themselves by inventing legends about her home life and her autocratic rule. Some, however, said

that the house was haunted, her husband off his head, and her daughters weak in their intellect. There was,

therefore, some astonishment when it was announced officially that the Professor was bringing Lord Chester

to stay at her own house"in perfect seclusion," added the paper, to the disgust of all Cambridge, who

would have liked to make much of this interesting young peer. However, long vacation had begun when he

came up, so that the few left were either the reading undergraduates or the dons.

"Here," said the Professor, as she ushered her guest into a spacious hall, with doors opening into other rooms

on either hand, "you will find yourself in a house of the past. Nothing in my husband's house, or hardly

anything, that is not two hundred years old at least; nothing which does not belong to the former dynasty: we

Lord Chester looked about him: the hall was hung with pictures, and these were of a kind new to him, for

they represented scenes in which man was not only the executive hand, but also the directing head, usurping

to himself the functions of the Higher Intelligence. Thus Man was sitting on the Judicial Bench; Man was

preaching in the Church; Man was holding debate in Parliament; Man was writing books; Man was studying.

Where, then, was Woman? She was represented as spinning, sewing, nursing the baby, engaged in domestic

pursuits, being wooed by young lovers, young herself, sitting among the children.

"You like our pictures?" asked the Professor. "They were painted during the Subjection of Woman two

hundred years ago. Men in those days worked for women; women gave men their love and sympathy:

without love, which is a stimulus, labour is painful to man; without sympathy, which supports, labour is

intolerable to him; with, or without, labournecessary work with head or hand for the daily breadis

almost always intolerable to woman. Therefore, since the Great Revolution, there has been no good work

She opened a door, holding the handle for a moment, as if with reverence for what was within.

"Here is our library," she whispered. "Come, let me present you to my husband. I warn you, beforehand, that

It was a large room, filled with books of ancient aspect: at a table sat, among his papers, a venerable old man,

the like of whom Lord Chester had never seen before. It must be owned that the existing regime did not

produce successful results in old men. They were too often frivolous or petulant; they were sometimes

querulous; they complained of the want of respect with which they were treated, and yet generally neither

But this was a dignified old man: thin white locks hung round his square forehead, beneath which were eyes

still clear and full of kindliness; and his mobile lips parted with a peculiarly sweet smile when he greeted his

guest. For the first time in his life, Lord Chester looked, with wonder, upon a man who bore in his face and

The room was his study: the walls were hidden with books; the table was covered with papers. Strange,

"Be welcome," he said, "to my poor house. Your lordship has, I learn, been the pupil of my wife."

"I rejoice to hear it. You will now, if you please, be my pupilfor a short time only. You have much to

learn, and but a brief space to learn it in before we proceed upon the Mission of which you know. Will you

He questioned the young man with great care; ascertained that he knew already, having been taught in these

late days by the Professor, the most important points of ancient history; that he was fully acquainted with his

own pedigree, and what it meant; that he was filled with indignation and shame at the condition of his

country; that he was ready to throw off the restraints and prejudices of Religion, and eager to become the

"But," said Lord Chester, stammering and confused, "I shall want helpdirectioneven words. If the

"I will find you the help you want. Look to me, and to those who work with me, for guidance. This is a man's

movement, and must be guided by men alone. Sufficient for the moment that we have in your lordship our

true leader, that you will consent to be guided until you know enough to leadand that you will be with

"It is well that you should first know," the old man went on, "who I am, and to what hands you entrust your

future. Learn, then, that by secret laying on of hands the ancient Episcopal Order hath been carried on, and

continues unto this day. Though there are now but two or three Bishops remaining of the old Church, I am

onethe Bishop of London. This library contains the theology of our Churchthe works of the Fathers.

"You may judge of all things," said the Bishop, "by their fruits. You have seen the fruits of the New Religion:

you have gone through the length and the breadth of the land, and have found whither the superstition of the

Perfect Woman leads. I shall teach you the nobler Creed, the higher Faith,that"here his voice lowered,

"And now," he went on, after a pause, ringing the bell, "I want to introduce to you some of your future

There appeared in answer to this summons a small band of half a dozen young men. Among them, to Lord

Chester's amazement, were two friends of his own, the very last men whom he would have expected to meet.

They were Algy Dunquerque, the young fellow we have already mentioned, and a certain Jack Kennion, as

good a rider, cricketer, and racquetplayer as any in the country. These two men in the plot? Had he been

The two entered, but they said nothing. Yet the look of satisfaction on their faces spoke volumes.

"Gentlemen," said the Bishop, "I desire to present you to the Earl of Chester. In this house and among

ourselves he is already what he will shortly be to the whole worldHis Royal Highness the Earl of Chester,

heir to the crownnayactual King of England. The day long dreamed of among us, my children the

day for which we have worked and plannedhas arrived. Before us stands the Chief, willing and ready to

They bowed profoundly. Then each one advanced in turn, took his hand, and murmured words of allegiance.

The first was a tall thin young man of fourandtwenty, with eager eyes, pale face, and high narrow

forehead, named Clarence Veysey. "If you are what we hope and pray," he said, looking him full in the face

with searching gaze, "we are your servants to the death. If you are not, God help England and the Holy

The next who stepped forward was Jack Kennion. He was a young man of his own age, of great muscular

development, with square head, curly locks, and laughing eyes. He held out his hand and laughed. "As for

me," he said, "I have no doubt as to what you are. We have waited for you a long time, but we have you at

"I told you," he said laughing, "that I was ready to follow you. But I did not hope or expect to be called upon

so soon. Something, of course, I knew, because I am a pupil of the Bishop, and knew how long Professor

Ingleby has been working upon your mind. At last, then!" He heaved a mighty sigh of satisfaction, and then

began to laugh. "Ho, ho! Think of the flutter among the petticoats! Think of the debates in the House! Think

One after the other shook hands, and then the Bishop spoke, as if interpreting the thought of all.

"This day," he said, "is the beginning of new things. We shall recall the grandeurs of the past, which no living

man can remember. Time was when we were a mighty country, the first in the world: we had the true

Religion, two thousand years old; a grand state Church; we had an ancient dynasty and a constitutional

monarchy; we had a stately aristocracy always open to new families; we had an immense commerce; we had

flourishing factories; we had great and loyal colonies; we had a dense and contented population; we had

enormous wealth; science in every branch was advancing; there was personal freedom; every man could raise

himself from the lowest to the highest rank; there was no post too high for the ambition of a clever lad. In

"Let us," he continued, after a pause, "think how all this has been changed. We have lost our reigning family,

and have neither king nor queen; we have thrown away our old hereditary aristocracy, and replaced it by a

false and pretentious House, in which the old titles have descended through a line of women, and the new

ones have been created for the noisiest of the first female legislators; we have abolished our House of

Commons, and given all the power to the Peeresses; we have lost the old worship, and invented a creed which

has not even the merit of commanding the respect of those who are most interested in keeping it up. Does any

educated woman now believe in the Perfect Woman, except as a means of keeping men down?

"As for our trade, it is gone; as for our greatness, it is gone; as for our industries, they are gone; as for our

arts, they have perished: we stand alone, the contempt of the world to whom we are no longer a Power. Our

men are kept in ignorance; they are forbidden to rise, by their own work, from one class to another; class and

caste distinctions are deepened, and differences in rank are multiplied; there is no more science; electricity,

steam, heat, and air are the servants of man no longer; men cannot learn; they are even forbidden to meet

together; they have lost the art of selfgovernment; they are cowed; they are cursed with a false religion; they

"Fortunately," he continued, "they have left man something: he has retained his strength; they have even

legislated with the view of keeping him healthy and strong. In your strength, my sons, shall you prosper. But

you will have to revive the old spirit. That will be the most difficultthe only difficult task. Take Lord

In the room next to the library was a collection of strange and wonderful things, all new and unintelligible to

"These," he said, "are chiefly models of the old machinery. I study them daily, in the hope of restoring the

mechanical skill of the past. These engines with multitudinous wheels which are so intricate to look at, and

yet so simple in their action, formerly served to keep great factories at work, and found occupation for

hundreds and thousands of men; these black round boxes were steam machines which dragged long trains full

of people about the country at the rate of sixty miles an hour; these glittering things in brass were made to

illustrate knowledge which has long since died out, unless I can recover it by the aid of the old books; these

complicated things were weapons among us when science ruled everything; all these books treat of the

forgotten knowledge; these paintings on the wall show the life of the very world as it was when men ruled it;

these maps showed the former greatness of the country: everything here proves from what a height we have

fallen. And to think that it is only herein this one house of all England that we can feel what we once

During the talk of this afternoon, Lord Chester discovered that the education of every one of these young men

had been conducted with a view to his future work in or after the Revolution. Thus Algernon Dunquerque

was learned in the old arts of drilling and ordering masses of men. Jack Kennion had studied mechanics and

mathematics; another had learned ancient law and history; another had been trained to speak,and so on.

Clarence Veysey, for his part, had been taught by the Bishop the Mysteries of the Old Religion, and was an

ordained Priest. These things the new recruit made out from the eager talk of his friends, who seemed all of

It was a relief at last, wren the first bell rang, to be alone for a few minutes, if only to get his ideas cleared a

He found the Professor and her daughters in the drawing room. The girls received him with smiles of

welcome. The elder, Gracea girl whose sweetness of face was new to Lord Chester, accustomed to the

hard lines which a life of combat so early brings upon a woman's eyes and browhad, which was the first

thing he noticed in her, large, clear gray eyes of singular purity. The other, Faith, was smaller, slighter, and

perhaps more lovely, though in a different way, a less spiritual fashion. Both, in the outer world, would have

been considered painfully shy. Lord Chester was beginning to consider shyness as a virtue in women. At all

He was already prepared for many changes, and for customs new to him. Yet he was hardly ready for the

complete reversal of social rules he experienced at this dinner. For the subjects of talk were started by the

men, who almost monopolised the conversation; while the ladies merely threw in a word here and there,

which served as a stimulus, and showed appreciation rather than a desire to join in the argument. And such

talk! He had been accustomed to hear the ladies talk almost uninterruptedly of politicsthat is, of personal

matters, squabbles in the House, disputes about precedence, intrigues for title and higher rankand dress.

Nothing else, as a rule, occupied the dinnertable. The men, who rarely spoke, were occasionally questioned

about some cricketmatch, some long race, or some other kind of athletics. This was due to politeness only,

however; for, the question put and answered, the questioner showed how little interest she took in the subject

by instantly returning to the subject previously in discussion. But at this table,the Professor'sno, the

Bishop's table,the men talked of art, and in terms which Lord Chester could not understand. Nevertheless,

he gathered that the socalled art of the Academicians was a thing absolutely beneath contempt. They talked

of science, especially the squareheaded youth Jack Kennion, to whom they deferred as to an authority; and

he spoke of subjects, forms, and laws of which Lord Chester was absolutely ignorant: they talked of history,

and all, including the Bishop's daughtersstrange, how easily the new proselyte fell into the way of

considering how the highest education is best fitted for men!showed as intimate an acquaintance with the

past as the Professor herself. They talked of religion; and here all deferred to the Bishop, who, while he spoke

with authority, invited discussion. Strangest thing of all!every man spoke as if his own opinion were worth

considering. There was not the slightest deference to authority. The great and standard work of Cornelia

Nipper on Political Economy, in which she summed up all that has been said, and left, as was taught at

Cambridge, nothing more to be said; the Encyclop�dia of Science, written by Isabella Bunter, in which she

showed the absurdity of pushing knowledge into worthless regions; the sermons and dogmas of the illustrious

and Reverend Violet Swandown, considered by the orthodox as containing guidance and comfort for the soul

under all possible circumstances,these works were openly scoffed at and derided.

Lord Chester said little; the conversation was for the most part beyond him. At his side sat the Bishop's elder

daughter, Gracea young lady of twentyone or twentytwo, of a type strange to him. She had a singularly

quiet, graceful manner; she listened with intelligent pleasure, and showed her appreciation by smiles rather

than by words; when she spoke, it was in low tones, yet without hesitation; she was almost extravagantly

deferent to her father, but towards her mother showed the affection of a loved and trusted companion. It was

too much the custom in society for girls to show no regard whatever for the opinions or the wishes of their

The younger daughter, Faith, talked less; but Lord Chester noticed that as she sat next to Algy Dunquerque,

that young man frequently ceased to join in the general conversation, and exchanged whispers with her; and

they were whispers which made her eyes to soften and her cheek to glow. Good; in the new state of things the

men would do the wooing for themselves. He thought of Constance, and wished she had been there.

"Your training," he said to Lord Chester, "has been, by my directions, that of a Prince rather than a private

gentleman. That is to say, you have been taught a great many things, but you have not become a specialist.

These friends of ours,"he pointed to his group of disciples,"are, each in his own line, better than

yourself, and better than you will ever try to become. A Prince should be a patron of art, learning, and science

and literature; but it does not become him to be an artist, a scholar, a philosopher, or a poet. You must be

contented to sit outside the circle, so to speak. Now let us speak of our chances."

He proceeded to discuss the best way of raising the country. His plan was a simultaneous revolt in half a

dozen country districts; an appeal to the rustics; the union of forces; the seizure of towns; continual preaching

and exhortation for the men; repression for the women; the destruction of their sacred pictures and figures;

but no violenceabove all, no violence. The Bishop was an ecclesiastic, and he was a recluse. He therefore

did not understand what men are like when the passion of fighting is roused in them. He dreamed of a

bloodless Revolution; he pictured the men voluntarily confessing the wisdom and the truth of the Old

Religion. The event proved that all human institutions rest on force, and cannot be upset without the

employment of force. To be sure, women cannot fight; but they had on their side the aid of superstition and

Upstairs one of the girls played and sang old songs: the words were strange; words and air went direct to the

"It is death or success," she whispered. "Be of good cheer; in either event you shall be counted noble among

When Grace Ingleby wished him goodnight, she held his hand in hers with the firm grasp of a sister.

"You are one of us," she said frankly. "In this house we are all brothers and sisters in hope and in Religion.

And if they found us out," she added with a laugh, "we should be brothers and sisters in death. Courage, my

Faith Ingleby, the younger sister, who had less ardour for the Cause than for the men who were pledged to it,

"We know all about Lady Carlyon; and we pray daily for her, and for you. Mother says she is worthy

"What?" he asked, reddening; for the girl hesitated and looked at him with a kind of awe.

"Don't anticipate, Faith," said Algy. "Considering, however, what we have come out of, it strikes me that we

have nothing to lose, whatever we may gain. Come, Chester, we want to have a quiet talk together as soon as

They talked for nearly the whole night. There was so much to say; one subject after another was started; there

were so many chances to consider,that it was four o'clock when they parted. Algy found, somewhere or

"Come," he cried, "a stirrupcup! I drink to the day when the `King shall enjoy his own again.'"

"To think," he replied laughing, "that we have dreamed of this day so long! What would our Revolution be

worth unless we were to have our hereditary and rightful king for leader! Yet, I confess it was hard to see you

drawn daily closer to us, and not to hold out hands to drag you inlong ago. Yes, the Professor was right.

She is always right. She glories in her obedience to the Bishop, butwhisper,we all know very well that

the Bishop does nothing without consulting her first, and nothing that she does not agree with. Don't be too

AT SEVEN in the morning, Lord Chester was roused from an extremely disagreeable dream. He was, in this

vision, being led off to execution, in company with the Bishop, Constance, the Professor, and Grace Ingleby.

The Duchess of Dunstanburgh headed the procession, carrying the ropes in her own illustrious hand. Her face

was terrible in its sternness. The Chancellor was there, pointing skinny fingers, and saying "Yah!" Before

him, within five minutes' walk, stood five tall and comely gallows, with running tackle beautifully arranged;

also, in case there should be any preference expressed by the criminals for fancy methods of execution, there

were stakes and fagots, guillotines, wheels to be broken upon, men with masks, and other accessories of

It was therefore a relief, on opening his eyes, to discover that he was as yet only a peaceful guest of Professor

Ingleby, and that the Great Revolt had not yet begun. "At all events," he said cheerfully, "I shall have the

excitement of the attempt, if I am to be hanged or beheaded for it. And most certainly it will be less

disagreeable to be hanged than to marry the Duchess. Perhaps even there may be, if one is lucky, an

opportunity of telling her so. A last dying speech of that kind would be popular."

Shaking off gloomy thoughts, therefore, he dressed hastily, and descended to the Hall, where most of the

party of the preceding night were collected, waiting for him. The tinkling of a bell which had awakened him

"But," he added, "don't be afraid. It is not the kind of service we are accustomed to. There is no homily on

The chapel was a long room, fitted simply with a few benches, a table at the east end, a brass eagle for

lectern, and some books. The Professor and the girls were already in their places, and in a few moments the

For the first time Lord Chester witnessed the spectacle of a man conducting the services. It gave a little shock

and a momentary sense of shame, which he shook off as unworthy. A greater shock was the simple service of

To begin with, there were no flowers, no incense girls, no anthems, no pictures of Sainted Women, no figures

of the Holy Mother, no veiled Perfect Woman on an altar crowned with roses; and there were no

genuflections, no symbolical robes, no mystic whisperings, no change of dress, no pretence at mysterious

powers. All was perfectly simplea few prayers, a lesson from a great book, a hymn, and then a short

The Ancient Faith had long since become a thing dim and misty, and wellnigh forgotten save to a few

students. Most knew of it only as an obsolete form of religion which belonged to the semibarbarism of

Man's supremacy: it had been superseded by the fuller revelation of the Perfect Woman,imposed, so to

speak, upon the world for the elevation of women into their proper place, and for the guidance of subject

man. It was carefully taught with catechism, articles, doctrines, and history, to children as soon as they could

run about. It was now a settled Faith, venerable by reason of its endowments and dignities rather than its age,

supported by all the women of England, defended on historical and intellectual grounds by thousands of pens,

by weekly sermons, by domestic prayers, by maternal admonitions, by the terrors of the afterworld, by the

hopes of that which is present with us. A great theological literature had grown up around the Faith. It was

the only recognised and tolerated religion; it was not only the religion of the State, but also the very basis of

the political constitution. For as the Perfect Woman was the goddess whom they worshipped, the Peeresses

who ruled were rulers by divine right, and the Commonsbefore that House had been abolished were

members of their House by divine permission: every member officially described herself a member by divine

permission. To dispute about the authority of the ecclesiastical Decrees which came direct from the Upper

House, was blasphemy, a criminal offence, and punishable by death; and to deny the authority of the Decrees

was to incur certain death. It is not, therefore, surprising to hear that there was neither infidelity nor

nonconformity in the whole country. On the other hand, because there must be some outlet for private and

independent opinion, there were many interpretations of the law, and opinions as many and as various as

those who disputed concerning the right interpretation. Under the rule of woman, there could be no doubt, no

compromise, no dispute, on essentials. The principles of religion, like those of moral, social, and political

economy, were fixed and unalterable; they were of absolute certainty. As to the Articles of Religion, as to the

Great Dogma of the Revealed Perfect Woman, there could be no doubt, no discussion.

And now, after a most religious training, Lord Chestera man who ought to have accepted and obeyed in

meeknesswas actually assisting, in a spirit half curious, half converted, at a service in which the Perfect

Ever since Lord Chester had become awakened to the degradation of man and the possibility of his

restoration, his mind had been continually exercised by the absolute impossibility of reconciling his new

Cause with his Religion. How could the Grand Revolt be carried out in the teeth of the most sacred

commandments? How could he remain a faithful servant of the Church, and yet rebel against the first law of

the Church? How could he continue to worship the Perfect Woman when he was thrusting woman out of her

place? We may suppose Cromwell, by way of parallel, trying to reconcile the divine right of kings with the

Here, however, though as yet he understood it not, there was a service which absolutely ignored the Perfect

Woman. The prayers were addressed direct to the Eternal Father as the Father. The language was plain and

simple. The words of the hymn which they sang were strong and simple, ringing true as if from the heart, like

The Bishop closed his book, bowed his head for a few moments in silent prayer, then rose and addressed his

congregation; and, as he spoke, the young men clasped hands, and the girls sobbed.

"Beloved," he began, "at this moment it would be strange indeed if our hearts were not moved within usif

our prayers and praises were not spontaneous. Let us remember that we are the descendants of those who

handed down the lamp in secrecy from one to the other, always with prayer that they might live to see the

Day of Restoration. The Day of Attempt, indeed, is nigh at hand. We pray with all our hearts that we may

bring the Return of the Light of the World. Then may those who witness the glorious sight cry aloud to depart

in peace, because there will be nothing more for them to pray for. What better thing could there be for us, my

"You who have learned the story of the past; you who worship with me in the great and simple Faith of your

ancestors; you who know how man did wondrous deeds in the days of old, and how he fell and became a

slave, who was created to be master; you who are ready to begin the upward struggle; you who are the

apostles of the Old Order,children of the Promise, go forth in your strength and conquer."

Half an hour afterwards, when the emotions of this act of worship were somewhat calmed, they met at

breakfast. The girls' eyes were red, and the young men were grave; but the conversation flowed in the

After breakfast, Lord Chester was intrusted to the care of the pale and austere young man who had been first

"Clarence Veysey," said the Bishop, "is my secretary, my private chaplain, and my pupil. He is himself in full

priest's orders, and will instruct you in the rudiments of our Faith. We do not substitute one authority for

another, Lord Chester. You will be exhorted to try and examine for yourself the doctrines before you accept

them. Yet you will understand that what you are taught stood the test of question, doubt, and attack for more

than two thousand years before it was violently torn from mankind. Go, my son, receive instruction with

"I am indeed a priest," said Clarence Veysey, taking him into the library. "I have been judged worthy of the

"No," he replied. "It is, in fact"here he blushed and hesitated"a position of great difficulty. I must,

perforce, until we are ripe for action, act a deceptive part. The necessity for concealment is a terrible thing.

"The concealment," said Lord Chester, unfeelingly, because he knew nothing about Naaman, "would be part

"The fun?" this young priest gasped. "But, of courseyou do not know. We are in deadly earnest, and he

calls itfun: we strive for the return of the world to the Faith, and he calls it fun!"

"I beg your pardon," said Lord Chester. "I seemI hardly know whyto have offended you. I really think it

must be very good fun to have this pretty secret all to yourself when you are at home."

"Well" Lord Chester did not mind being instructed by the old Bishop or by the Professor. But the

superiority of this smoothchecked youth of his own age galled him. Nevertheless, he saw that the young

"As for the deception," said Clarence, "it is horrible. One falsehood leads to another. I pretend

weaknesseven disease and painto escape being married to some one; because what can a man of my

positionof the middle classdo to earn my bread? Then I have simulated sinful paroxysms of bad temper.

This keeps women away: so long as I am believed to be ill tempered and sickly, of course no one will offer

to marry me. A reputation of illtemper is, fortunately, the best safeguard possible for a young man who

would possess his soul in freedom. I try to persuade myself that necessary deception is harmless deception;

and if we succeed" he paused and sighed. "Come, my lord, let me teach you something of the true

They spent the whole morning together, while Clarence Veysey unfolded the mysteries of the Ancient Faith,

and showed how divine a thing it was, and how fitted for every possible phase or emergency of life. His

earnestness, the sincerity and honesty of his belief, deeply moved Lord Chester.

"It was thrown away, not lost," replied the priest. "Even before the women began to encroach upon the power

of men, it was thrown away. Had the Ancient Faith survived, we should have been spared the coming

struggle. It was thrown away. Men themselves threw it awaysome wilfully, others through

weaknessreceiving forms and the pretensions of priests instead of the substance; so that they surrendered

their liberty, put the priest between themselves and the Father, practised the servile rite of confession, and

went on to substitute the image of the Mother and Child upon their altars, in place of the Divine Manhood,

whose image had been in their fathers' hearts. Why, when after many years it was resolved to place on every

altar the Veiled Figure of the Perfect Woman, the very thought of the Divine Man had been wellnigh

"But not lost," he went on in a kind of rapture"not lost. He lingers still among ushere in this most sacred

house. He is spoken of in rustic speech; He lingers in rustic traditions; many a custom still survives, the

origin of which is now forgotten, which speaks to us who knew of the dear old Faith."

He spoke more of this old Faith,the only solution, he declared, ever offered, of the problem of life,the

everliving Divine Brother, always compassionate, always helping, always lifting higher the souls of these

"See!" cried the enthusiast, falling on his knees, "He is here. O ChristLordRedeemer, Thou art with

When he brought Lord Chester again into the presence of the Bishop, they both had tears in their eyes.

"He comes, my lord," said Clarence, a sober exultation in his voice"he comes as a catechumen, seeking

Needless here to relate by what arguments, what teaching, Lord Chester became a convert to the New Faith;

nor how he was baptized, nor with what ardour he entered into the doctrines of a religion the entrance to

which seemed like the bursting of prisondoors, the breaking of fetters, the sudden rush of light. His new

friends became, in a deeper sense, his brothers and his sisters. They were of the same religion; they

Then followed a quiet time of study, talk, and preparation, during which Lord Chester remained in perfect

seclusion, and went into no kind of society. Professor Ingleby reported to Lady Boltons that her ward went

nowhere, desired no other companionship, amused himself with reading, made no reference whatever to the

Duchess or Lady Carlyon, and appeared to be perfectly happy, in his "quietest and most delightful manner."

The letter was forwarded by Lady Boltons to the Chancellor, and by her to the Duchess, who graciously

expressed her approbation of the young man's conduct. There was thus not the least suspicion. On Sunday,

which was a day of great danger, because the young men were growing impatient of restraint, Lord Chester

Here, while the organ pealed among the venerable aisles of the University Church, while the clouds of

incense rolled about before the Veiled Statue on the altar, while the hymn was lifted, while the preacher in

shrill tones defended a knotty point in theology, while the dons and heads of houses slumbered in their

places, while the few undergraduates remaining up for the Long leaned over the gallery and looked about

among the men below for some handsome face to admire, Lord Chester sat motionless, dazing straight before

The strangeness of the new life passed away quickly; the outside life, the repression and pretence, were

forgotten, or only remembered with indignation. These young men were free; they laugheda thing almost

unknown under a system when a jest was considered as necessarily either rude or scoffing, certainly

illbredthey laughed continually; they made up stories; they related things which they had read. Algy

Dunquerque, who was an actor, made a little comedy of the Chancellor and the Duchess; and another of the

trial and execution of the rebels, showing the fortitude of Clarence Veysey and the unwillingness of himself;

and another on the arguments for the Perfect Government. They sat up late; they drank wine and sang songs;

Think of their joy, when they found on the shelves Shakespeare, Rabelais, Fielding, Smollett, and Dickens!

Think of their laughter when they read aloud those rude and boisterous writers, who respected nothing, not

even marriage, and had never heard of any Perfect Woman at all! Think, too, of their delight when the words

of wisdom went home to them; when they reflected on the great and wise Pantagruel, followed the voyagers

among the islands of Humanity, or watched over the career of Hamlet, the maddened Prince of Denmark!

These were for their leisure hours, but serious business occupied the greater part of the day.

Continually, also, the young men held counsel together, and discussed their plans. It was known that the

rising would take place at the earliest possible opportunity. But two difficulties presented themselves. What

would constitute a favourable opportunity? and what would be the best way to take advantage of it?

Algy Dunquerque insisted, for his part, that they should ride through the country, calling on the men to rise

Jack Kennion thought they should organise a small body first, drill and arm them, and then seize upon a place

and hold it. Clarence Veysey thought that he was himself able, book in hand, to persuade the whole of the

For men to rise against women seems, since the event, a ridiculously easy thing. As a matter of fact, it was an

extremely difficult thing. For the men had been so kept apart that they did not know how to act together, and

so kept in subjection that they were cowed. The prestige of the ruling sex was a factor of the very highest

importance. It was established, not only by law, but by religion. How ask men to rebel when their eternal

interests demanded submission? Men, again, had no longer any hope of change. While the present seems

unalterable, no reform can ever be attempted. Life was dull and monotonous; but how could it be otherwise?

Men had ceased to ask if a change was possible. And the fighting spirit had left them; they were strong, of

If there was to be fighting, the material on the side of the Government consisted first of the Horse

Guardsthree regiments, beautifully mounted and accoutred in splendid uniformsevery man a tall

handsome fellow six feet high. These soldiers formed the escort at all great Functions. They never left

London; they enjoyed a very fair social consideration; some of them were married to ladies of good family,

and all were married well; they were commanded from the War Office by a department of a hundred

Would they fight for the Government? or would they come over? At present no one could tell.

In addition to these regiments, the nation, which had no real standing army, maintained a force of

constabulary for prison warders. It has been already stated that the prisons were crowded with desperadoes

and violent persons convicted of wife beating, boxing their wives' ears, pulling their hair, and otherwise

illtreating them against the religion and law. They were coerced and kept in order by some fifteen or twenty

thousand of the constabulary, who were drilled and trained, commanded by men chosen from their own ranks

as sergeants, and armed with loaded rifles. It is true that the men were recruited from the lowest classmany

of them being thieves, common rogues, and jailbirds, some of them having even volunteered as an exchange

from prison; their pay was low, their fare poor; no woman of respectability would marry one of them; they

were rude, fierce, and illdisciplined; they frequently illtreated the prisoners; and their superior

officerswomen who commanded from the rooms of a departmenthad no control whatever over them

They would probably fight, if only for the contempt and hatred in which they were held by men.

There were the rustics. They were strong, healthy, accustomed to work together, outspoken, never more than

halfconvinced of the superiority of women, practising the duty of obedience no more than they were

obliged, fain to go courting on their own account, the despair of preachers, who were constantly taunted with

the ill success of their efforts. Why, it was commonin some cases it was the ruleto find the woman in

the cottage that most contemptible thinga manpecked wife. What was the good of paying wages to this

wife, when her husband took from her what he wanted for himself? What was the good of making laws that

men should not be abroad alone after dark, when in most of the English villages the men stood loitering and

talking together in the streets till bedtime? What was the use of prohibiting all intoxicating drinks, when in

every village there were some women who made beer and sold it to all the men who could pay for it, and

"They are ready to our hand," said Lord Chester. "The only question is, how to raise them, and how to arm

ONE morning, after six weeks of this pleasant life, Lord Chester, who had made excellent use of his time,

and was now as completely a man as his companions, was summoned to the Bishop's study, and there

"I have thought it prudent, Lord Chester," said the Bishop gravely, "to acquaint you with the fact that the time

is now approaching when the great Attempt will be made. Are you still of the same mind? May we look for

"You may, my lord." The young man held out his hand, which the aged Bishop clasped.

"It is good," he said, "to see the devotion of youth ready to renounce life and its joys; to incur the perils of

death and dishonour. This seems hard even in old age, when life has given all it has to give. But in young

men Yet, my son, remember that the martyr does but change a lower life for a higher."

"We take what is offered cheerfully. You must know then, my lord, that the ground has been artfully prepared

for us. This conspiracy, which you have hitherto thought confined to one old man's house and half a dozen

young men living with him, is in reality spread over the whole country. We have organisations, great or

small, in nearly every town of England. Some of them have as yet only advanced to the stage of discontent;

others have been pushed on to learn that the evil condition of men is due chiefly to the government of

women; others have learned that the sex which rules ought to obey; others, that the worship of the Perfect

Woman is a vain superstition: none have gone so far as you and your friends, who have learned morethe

faith in the Perfect Man. That is because you are to be the leaders, you yourself to be the Chief.

"Now, my lord, the thing having so far advanced, the danger is, that one or other of our secret societies may

be discovered. True, they do not know the ramifications or extent of the conspiracy. They cannot, therefore,

do us any injury by treachery or unlucky disclosures; yet the punishment of the members would be so severe

as to strike terror into the rest of our members. Therefore, it is desirable to begin as soon as possible."

"Nonot today, nor tomorrow. The difficulty is, to find some pretext,some reasonable pretextunder

"There are the convicts. We might raise a force, and liberate those of the prisoners who are victims of the

harsh laws of violence and the refusal to take a husband's evidence when accused by a wife. Then. the

country would be with us. But I shrink from commencing this great rebellion with bloodshed."

"Then there is the labour cry. We might send our little force into the towns, and call on the workmen to rise

"Or we might preach the Faith throughout the land, as Clarence Veysey wants to do. But I incline not to the

belief in wholesale miracles, and the age of faith is past, and the number of our preachers is very small."

"You will be helped," said the Professor, "in a quarter where you least suspect. I, too, with my girls, have

She proceeded to open a packet of papers, which she laid before the young Chief.

"They are called Tracts for the Times," she replied. "They are addressed to the Women of England."

"The girls and I together. We posted them wherever we could get addressesto all the undergraduates, to all

the students of hospitals, Inns of Court, and institutions of every kind; to quiet country vicarages; to rich

"They have been found out, and a reward is offered for the printers. As they were printed in the cellars of this

house, the reward is not likely to be claimed. They were all posted here, which makes the Government the

more uneasy. They believe in the spread of what they call irreligion among the undergraduates.

Unfortunately, the undergraduates are as yet only discontented, because all avenues are choked."

The Bishop took up one of the tracts again, and read it thoughtfully. It was headed, Tracts for the Times: For

The writer, in brief telling paragraphs, very different from the longwinded, verbose style everywhere

prevalent, called upon women seriously to consider their own position, and the state that things had been

brought to by the Government of the Peeresses. Every profession was crowded: the shameful spectacle of

women begging for employment, even the most illpaid, was everywhere seen; the law in both branches was

filled with briefless and clientless members; there were more doctors than patients; there were more teachers

than pupils; there were artists without number who produced acres of painted canvas every year and found no

patrons; the Church had too many curates; while architects, journalists, novelists, poets, orators, all swarmed,

and were all alike ravenous for work at any rate of pay, even the lowest. The happiest were the few who

could win their way by competitive examination into the Civil Service; and even there, the Government

having logically applied the sound political axioms of supply and demand to the hire of their servants, they

could hardly live upon their miserable pay, and must give up all hopes of marriage. There was a time, the

tract went on, when men had to do all the work, including the work of the professions. In those days all kinds

of work were considered respectable, so that there was not this universal run upon the professions. And in

those days, said the writer, the axiom of open competition in professional charges was not acted up to,

insomuch that physicians, barristers, and solicitors charged a sum agreed upon by themselvesand that an

adequate sumfor services rendered; while the pay of the Service was given in consideration to the amount

required for comfortable living. The only way out of the difficulty, concluded the author, was to limit the

number of those who entered the professions, to regulate the charges on a liberal scale, and to increase the

pay of the Services. As for the rest, if women must work, they must do the things which women can do

wellsew, make dresses, cook, and, in fact, perform all those services which were thought menial, unless,

By the wisdom of their ancestors, it had been ordained that every man should be taught a handicraft, by

means of which to earn his own living. This wholesome rule had been allowed to fall into abeyance; for while

some sort of carpenter's work was nominally and officially taught in boys' schools, it had long been

considered a mark of social inferiority for man to do any work at all. "We educate our men," the tract went

on, "in the practice of every gymnastic and athletic feat; we turn them out strong, active, agile to do and

endure, and then we find nothing for them to do. Is it their fault that they become vacuous, ill tempered,

discontented, the bane of the house which their virtues ought to make a happy home? What else can we

expect? Whence the early falling off into fat cheeks and flabby limbs? whence the love of the tablethat

vice which stains our manhood? whence the apathy at Church services?whence should they come but from

The tract went on to call for a reform in this as in other matters. Let the men be set to work; let men of all

classes have to work. Why should women do all, as well as think for all? "It must be considered, again, that

every man cannot be married; indeed, under the present state of things few women can think of marriage till

they have arrived at middle age, and therefore most men must remain single. Why should we doom them to a

long life of forced inaction? Happier far the rustic who ploughs the field, or the cobbler who patches the

village boots." Then there followed an artful and specious reference to old times: "Under the former regime,

men worked, and women, in the freedom of the house, thought. The nominal ruler was the Hand; the actual,

the Head. In those days, the flower of woman's life was not wasted in study and competition. The maidens

were wooed while they were young and beautiful; their lovers worked for them, surrounded them with

pleasant things, lapped them in warmth, brought them all that they could desire, made their lives a restful

dream of love. It has come to this, O women of the New Faith, that you have thrown away the love of men,

and with it the whole joy of creation! You worship the Woman; your mothers, happier in their generation,

Then the Professor produced another and a more dangerous manifesto, addressed to the young men of

England. It was dark and mysterious: it bade them be on the watch for a great and glorious change; they were

to remember the days when men were rulers; they were to distrust their teachers, and especially the

priestesses; they were to look with loathing upon the inaction to which they were condemned; they were told

to ask themselves for what end their limbs were strong if they were to do nothing all their lives; and they

were taught how, in the old days, the men did all the work, and were rewarded by marrying young and lovely

women. This tract had been circulated from hand to hand, none of the agents in its distribution knowing

There were others, all turning upon the evils of the times, and all recalling the old days when women sat at

"We want," said the Bishop, "a pretext,we want a spark which shall set fire to this mass of discontent."

That very night there was a stormy debate in the House of Peeresses. The Duchess of Dunstanburgh, whose

Ministry was kept in power by nothing but the stern will of their leader, because it had never commanded the

confidence or even the respect of the House, came down with a bundle of papers in her hand. They were

these very tracts. She read them through, one by one. She informed the House that these tracts had been

circulated wholesale: from every town in the country she received intelligence that they had been taken from

some girl's hands, in many cases from the innocent hands of young men. She said that it had been

ascertained so far that the tracts were posted from Cambridge; it was believed they were the work of certain

mischievous and infidel undergraduates. She had taken the unusual course of instituting a college visitation,

so far without effect. Meantime she assured the House that if the author of these tracts could be discovered,

The Countess of Carlyon rose to reply. She said that no one regretted more than herself the tone of these

tracts. At the same time there was, without doubt, ample cause for discontent. The professions were

crammed; thousands of learned young women were asking themselves where they were to look for even daily

bread. In the homes, the young men, seeing the misery, were, for their part, asking why they should not work,

if work of any kind were to be got. To sit at home, and starve in gentility, was a hard thing to do, even by the

most patient and religious young man; while for a girl to see the days go by barren and unprofitable, while

her beauty withered,to have no hope of marriage; to see the man she might have loved taken from

herhere the Countess faced the Duchess with indignant eyestaken from her by one old enough to be his

grandmother, surely here was cause enough for discontent! She urged the appointment of a commission for

the consideration of grievances; and she urged, further, that the evidence of men, old and young, should be

receivedespecially on two important points: first, whether they really liked a life of inaction; and secondly,

The scene which followed this motion was truly deplorable. The following of Lady Carlyon consisted of all

the younger members of the Housea minority, but full of life and vigour; on the opposite side were the old

and middleaged Peeresses, who had been brought up in the doctrine of woman's divine right of authority,

and of man's divine rule of obedience. The elders had a tremendous majority, of course; but not the less, the

fact that such a motion could be made was disquieting. The debate was not reported, but it got abroad; and

while the tracts circulated more widely than ever, no more were seized, because they were all kept hidden,

From end to end of the country, the talk was of nothing but of the old times. Was it true, the girls asked, that

formerly the women ruled at home, while the men did all the work? If that was so, would no one find a

compromise by which they could restore that part, at least, of the former r�gime? Oh, to end these weary

struggles,these studies, which led to examinations; these examinations, which led to diplomas; these

diplomas which led to nothing; these agonising endeavours to trample upon each other, to push themselves

into notoriety, to snatch the scraps of work from each other's hands! Oh, to rest, to lie still, to watch the men

work! Ohbut this they whispered with clasping of handsoh, to be worshipped by a lover young and

loyal! What did the tract say? Happy women of old, when there was no Perfect Woman, but each was the

IN THE EARLY autumn the Cambridge party broke up. Clarence Veysey was the first to go. His sisters

"They are good girls," he sighed, "and less unsexed than most of their sex. Thanks to my reputation for ill

health, they do not interfere with my pursuits, and I can read and meditate. Writing is, of course, dangerous."

Lord Chester had not been long at the Professor's before he discovered two of those open secrets which are

known by everybody. They were naturally affairs of the heart. It was pleasant to find that the young priest,

the ardent apostle of the old Faith, was in love, and with Grace Ingleby. The courtship was cold, yet serious;

he loved her with the selfish affection of men who have but one absorbing interest in life, and yet want a wife

in whom to confide, and from whom to receive undivided care and worship. This he would find in Grace

Ingleby,one of those fond and faithful women who are born full of natural religion, to whom love, faith,

The other passion was of a less spiritual kind. Algy Dunquerque, in fact, was in love with Faith

Ingleby,head over ears in love, madly in love,and she with him. He would break off the most absorbing

conversationeven a speculative discussion as to how they would carry themselves, and what they would

say, when riding in the cart to executionin order to walk about under the trees with the girl.

"The fact is," he explained, "that if it were not for Faith and for you, I doubt if I should have been secured at

Another complication made his case serious, and added fresh reasons for despatch in the work before them.

His mother addressed him, while he was at Cambridge, a long and serious letterthat kind of letter which

After compliments of the usual kind to the Professor and to Lord Chester,it was for the sake of this young

man's friendship, and its possible social advantages, that Algy, as well as Jack Kennion, was permitted to stay

so long from home, Lady Dunquerque opened upon business of a startling nature. She reminded her son

that he was now twoandtwenty years of age, a time when many young men of position are already

established. "I have been willing," she said "to give you a long run of freedom,partly, I confess, because of

your friendship for Lord Chester, who, though in many respects not quite the model for quiet and

homeloving boys"here Algy read the passage over again, and nodded his head in approbation"will be

quite certainly the Duke of Dunstanburgh, and in that position will be the first gentleman of England. But an

event has occurred, an event of such good fortune, that I am compelled to recall you without delay. You have

frequently met the great lawyer Frederica Roe, Q.C. You will, I am sure, be pleased to learn"here Algy

took the hand of Faith Ingleby, and held it, reading aloud"that she has asked for your hand."

"I am greatly pleased," said Algy. "Bless the dear creature! She dresses in parchment, Faith, my angel: if you

prick her, she bleeds ink; if she talks, it is Acts of Parliament; and when she coughs, it is a special pleading.

Her complexion is yellow, her eyes are invisible, she has gone bald, and she is fiveandfifty. What good

"Of course I hastened to accept. She will be raised to the Peerage whenever a vacancy occurs on the Bench. I

confess, my dear son, that this match, so much beyond our reasonable expectations, so much higher than our

fortune and position entitled us to hope for on your behalfa match in all respects, and from every point of

view, so advantageouspleases your father and myself extremely. The disparity of age is not greater than

many young men have to encounter, and it is proved by numberless examples to be no bar to real happiness. I

say this because, in the society of Lord Chester, you may have imbibedalthough I rely upon your religious

principlessome of those pernicious doctrines which are, falsely perhaps, attributed to him. However, we

hope to see you return to us as you left us, submissive, docile, and obedient. And your friendship with Lord

Chester may ultimately prove of the greatest advantage to you." "I hope it will." said Jack, laughing, as he

read this passage. "Your father begs me to add that Frederica, who is only a few years older than himself, is

in reality, though somewhat imperious and brusque in manner, a most kindhearted woman, and likely to

"What do you think of that, brothers mine?" he asked, folding up the letter. They looked at each other.

"Oh, begin at once!" cried Faith, clasping her hands. "They will marry you all, the horrid creatures, before

"It is serious," said Jack. "If pity is any good to you, Algy, you have it. A crabbed old lawyera soured,

peevish, argumentative Q.C." He shuddered. "It is already Vacation; she is sure to want to push on the

"My own case," said the young Chief, "comes before the House in October. The first blow, so far as I am

"For Heaven's sake," cried Algy, "strike it before this old lawyer swallows me up! I feel like a piece of

parchment already. A little delay I can manage; a toothache, a cold, a sore throatanything would dobut

The little party was broken up. Jack Kennion alone remained. He had obtained permission to accompany

Lord Chester to Chester Towers, his country seat. The Professor and the girls were to go tooan

arrangement sanctioned by Lady Boltons, happily ordered abroad to drink the waters.

Three weeks passed. Letter after letter came from Algy. His fianc�e was pressing on the marriage; he had

resorted to every expedient to postpone it; he knew not what he could do next; the day had to be named;

wedding presents were coming in; and the learned lawyer proved more odious than could be imagined.

He was sitting one afternoon at this time, Algernon's last despairing letter in his pocket, on a hillside four or

five miles from the Castle. Beside him stood a young gamekeeper, Harry Gilpin, stalwart and brawny: there

"It is our only chance, Harry," said Lord Chester, in low, earnest tones. "We must do it. Things are

"I'll follow your lordship wherever you lead. I'll go for your lordship wherever you point. Don't think I'm

afeard for myself. I'm but a poor creatureeasy to find plenty as good as me; and if so be I must end my

days in a convictprison, why, I'd rather do it for you, my lord, than for lying accusations."

"Good, Harry," Lord Chester held out his hand. "We understand each other. Death rather than a

"All the countryside is discontented, along o' the old women. It's this way, my lord. We get on right well, let

us marry our own gells. When the gells gets shoved out o' the way, and we be told by the Passon to marry this

"It is, Harry, and my case as well as yours. Then if all are discontented, we may get all to join us."

"Nay, my lord; many are but soft creatures, and mortal afraid of the women. We shall get some, but we must

"When your lordship lifts up your little finger," he replied, "there's not a keeper for miles and miles round

that won't run to join you, nor a stableboy, nor a groom, nor a gardener. Ay! a hundred and fifty men,

counting boys, will come in, once pass the word. A Chester has lived in these parts longer than men can

"Ay . . . so some say . . . in the days when . . . but there! it is an old story."

"But the girls, Harry, who have lost their lovers,your own girl, what will she do?"

"They whimper a bit; they have a row with the old woman; and then the Passon steps in and talks about

"What! If they saw a chance, if they thought they could get their sweethearts back again, would they not

"Some would, some wouldn't. You see, my lord, it's their religion stands in the way; and their religion means

everything. What they say is, that if they married their sweethearts, these being young and proper men, and

masterful, they would perhaps get put upon; whereas, they love to rule their husbands. But some would . . .

A hundred and fifty, and all true and loyal men! As the occupation of most of them prevented their going to

church, and kept them apart from the rest, in a kind of loneliness, they were comparatively uninfluenced by

religion; and though their wives drew the pay, the keepers understood little about obedience, and indeed had

everything their own way. A hundred and fifty men!a little army. Never before had he felt so grateful for

"A hundred and fifty men, my lord, of all ages, by tomorrow morning, if you want them, and no doubt a

hundred and fifty more the day after. Why, there are seventy men on the Duchess's estate alone, counting the

Lord Chester was silent. He had communicated enough of the plot. Harry knew that his master, like himself,

was threatened with an elderly wife. He also knew that his master proposed an insurrection against the

Now, while the leader of the Revolt was considering what steps to take,nothing is harder in revolutions

than to make a creditable and startling commencement,accident put in his way a most excellent beginning.

There was a hardworking young blacksmith in the villagea brawny, powerful man of thirty or

thereabouts. No better blacksmith was there within thirty miles: his anvil rang from morning until night; he

was as handsome in a rough fashion as any man need be; and he ought to have been happy. But he was not,

for he was married to a termagant. Not only did this wife of his take all his money, which was legitimate, but

she abused him with the foulest reproaches, accusing him perpetually of wifebeating, of infidelity, of

drunkenness, and of all the vices to which male flesh is liable, threatening him in her violent moods with

That morning there had been a more than usually violent quarrel. The scolding of the beldam in her house

was heard over the whole village, so that the men trembled and grew pale, thus admonished of what an angry

woman can say. During the forenoon there was peace, the blacksmith working quietly at his forge. In the

dinnerhour the row began again, worse than ever. At two o'clock the poor man came out with hanging head

and dejected face to his work. One or two of the elder women admonished him against exasperating his wife;

but he replied nothing. Children, for whom the unlucky smith had ever a kind word and a story, came as

usual, and stayed outside waiting. But there was no word of kindness for them that day. Men passed down the

village street and spoke to him; but he made no reply. Then the village cobbler, a widower, and independent,

and so old and crusty of temper that no one was likely to marry him, came forth from his shop and spoke to

"Bad," said Tom. "Couldn't be worse. And I wish I was dead dead and buried and out of it."

Then there came slowly down the street, carrying a basket with vegetables, a young woman of

fiveandtwenty, and she stopped in front of the forge, and said softly, "Poor Tom! I heard her this

Tom looked up and shook his head. His eyes, which were soft and gentle, were full of tears.

And then . . . then . . . the wife rushed upon the scene. Her eyes were red, her lips were quivering, her whole

frame shook with passion. For she was no longer simply in a common, vulgar, everyday rage; she was in a

rage of jealousy. She seized the younger woman by the arm, dragged her into the middle of the road, and

threw herself before her husband in a fine attitude. "Stand back!" she cried. "You . . . you . . . Susan! He is

"Poor fellow!" said Susan. She was a young person with black hair and resolute eyes, and it was well known

that she had regarded Tom as her sweetheart. "Poor fellow! It was a bad job indeed for him when he became

A war of words between an elderly woman, who may be taunted with her years, her jealousy, her lack of

children, teeth, and comeliness, and a young woman, who may be charged with many sins, is at best a painful

thing to witness, and a shameful thing to describe. Suffice it to say, that the elder lady was completely

discomfited, and that long after she was extinguished, the girl continued to pour upon her the vials of her

wrath. The whole village meanwhileall the women, and such of the men as were too old for

workcrowded round, taking part in the contest. Finally, the wife, stung by words whose bitterness was

embittered by their truth, cried aloud, taking the bystanders to witness, that the husband for whose sake, she

said, she had endured patiently the falsehoods and accusations of yonder hussy, was nothing better than a

"I've borne it long," she cried, "but I will bear it no longer. To prison he shall go. If I am an old woman, and

like to die, you shall never have himdo you hear? To prison he shall go, and for life."

The blacksmith stood still, saying not a word, leaning on his hammer. Then his wife spoke again, but slowly.

"Last night," she said, "he dragged me round the room by the hair of my head; this morning he knocked me

down with his fist; and last Sunday, after church, he kicked me off my chair; yesterday fortnight he beat me

"Don't believe her," Susan cried. "Don't believe her. Why, she's got no hair to be pulled. . . . Don't . . . Oh! oh!

The women clamoured round the group,some for justice, because wifebeating is an awful sin; some for

mercy, because this woman was in her fits of wrath a most notorious liar, and not a soul believed her

It was in the midst of this altercation that there arrived on the scene, from opposite points, Lord Chester with

"Take him into custody," gasped the blacksmith's wife. "Take him to prison. Oh, the wretch! oh, the

"Stay!" he said to the policewomen. "Not so fast. Tom, what do you say?" he asked the blacksmith.

"I never laid hand on her," said the unhappy man. "But all's one for that. I suppose I'll have to go to prison,

my lord. Anyhow, there can't be no prison worse than this life. I'm glad and happy to be rid of her."

"Stay again," said his lordship. The people gathered closer in wonder. The masterful young lord looked as if

he meant to interfere. "Some of you," he said, "take this woman away, and look for any marks of violence.

No," as the elder women pressed forward, "not you who have got young husbands of your own, and would

"Must obey orders, my lord," said one of the police. "Here's a case for the magistrates. Woman says her

"My lord! . . . my lord!" cried the policewomen. "What shall we do? It's obstructing lawit's threatening the

As Lord Chester carried off his rescued prisoner, the Vicar came running out with dismay upon her face.

"My lord! my lord!" she cried. "What dreadful thing is this? And you, Tom,you, after all your promises! In

"Hold your foolish tongue!" said Lord Chester, roughly. "Why not in your parish? In every parish, thanks to

you and your accursed religion, the young men are torn from the girls, and there is misery. Stand aside. . . .

The Vicar gasped. She turned white with terror. "Foolish tongue! Accursed religion!" Had she heard aright?

It was now halfpast five in the afternoon, and the labourers were returning from the fields. The village street

The men began whispering together, and the women were all delivering orations at once.

"You, John Deer; you, Nick Trulliber; youand youand you, come with me. You have old wives too;

unless you want to be sent to prison for life for wifebeating, come with me and fight for your liberty."

They hesitated; they trembled; they looked at the vicar, at their wives: they would have been lost but for the

He was, as I have said, an elderly man, bowed down by his work and by years. But he sprang to the front and

"Come, unless you are cowards and deserve the hulks. Why, it's slavery, it's misery; it's unnatural pains and

penalties. Come out of it, you poor, wretched chaps, that ought to be married to them as is young and comely.

Come away, all you young fellows that want young wives. Hooray! his lordship's going to deliver us all.

He brandished his bradawl, seized one of the men, and the rest followed. There was a general scream from

the women of rage and terror; for all the men followed, like sheep, in a body. Not a single man of the village

"I always knew, my lord," said the cobbler, "that it was stuff an' nonsense, them and their submission. Yah!

some day there was bound to be a row. Don't let 'em go back, my lord. I'll stick by your lordship."

("It is a very odd thing," said the Professor, when she heard the story, "that cobblers have always been

Lord Chester had now got his mena band fortyseven strong, nearly all farmlabourerswithin the iron

gates of his park, and these were closed and locked. They were as fine a body of men, both young and old

together, as could be collected anywhere. But they understood as yet nothing of what was going to be done,

and they slouched along wondering stupidly, yet excited at the risk they were running.

"Remember," he said, "that the prisons of England are full of men charged with wifebeating. They never

had an opportunity of defending themselves; they are tortured day and night. You may, all of youany of

yoube charged with this offence. Your word is not taken; you are carried off to hopeless imprisonment. Is

They murmured. But Tom the blacksmith waved his hammer, and Harry the keeper his gun, and the cobbler

"Who asked you," cried Lord Chester, "if you wanted to marry an old woman? Did any of you choose her for

yourselves? Why, when there were girls in the village, sweet and young and pretty, longing for your love, is it

Then the girl they called Susan, who had followed with Tom, sprang to the front.

"Look at me, all of you," she cried. "Tom and me was courtin' since we were childrenwasn't we, Tom."

Tom nodded assent. "And she comes and takes him from me. And the Passon said it was all right, because a

man must obey, and sweetheartin' was nonsense. How long are you going to stand it? If I was a man, and

strong, would I let the women have their own way? How long will you stand it, I say?"

Here the men lifted up their voices and growled. Liberty begins with a growl; rage begins with a growl;

fighting begins with a growl,it is a healthy symptom for those who promote mischief.

"Are they pretty, your old women?" the orator went on. "Are they goodtempered? Are they pleasant to live

"Men," cried Lord Chester, "we have borne enough. Wake up! We will end all this. We will marry the

women we lovethe pretty sweethearts who love usthe young girls who will make us happy. Who will

Harry the keeper stepped to the front with a shout. Tom the blacksmith followed with a shout, brandishing his

hammer. The cobbler pushed and shoved the men. Susan threw her arms round Tom's neck and kissed him,

crying, "Go and fight, Tom; follow his lordship. Come, all you that are not cowards."

Two things happened then which determined the event and rallied the waverers, who, to tell the truth, were

The first was the appearance of Jack Kennion, followed by two men bearing a great cask of beer. Then

tankards passed from lip to lip, and the courage which is said to belong to Holland rather than to England

"Drink about, lads," cried Jack. "Here! give me the mug. Hurrah for Lord Chester! Drink about. Hurrah!"

They drankthey shouted. And while they shouted they became aware of a tall and beautiful girl who came

from the house and stood beside Lord Chester. Her lips were parted; her long hair flowed upon her shoulders;

the tears stood in her beautiful eyes. She tried to speak, but for a moment could not.

"Oh, men!" she cried at last,"Men of England! I thank kind Heaven for this day, which is the beginning of

your freedom. Oh, be brave! think not of your own wrongs only. Think of the thousands of men lingering in

prison; think of all who are shut in houses, working all day for their unloved wives; think of the young girls

who have lost their lovers; think of your strength and your courage, and fightto the death, if needs be!"

Then Grace Ingleby, for it was she, went from man to man and from group to group, praising them, telling

them that it was no small thing they had donethat no common or cowardly man would have dared to do it;

commending their courage, admiring their strength, and informing them carefully that this their act could

never be forgiven, so that if they did not succeed they would assuredly all be hanged; and imploring them to

The Professor, meantime, was writing letters. She wrote to her husband, begging him to remain quiet while

the news was spreading abroad, when he had better get across country by night and join the insurgents. She

wrote to all the disciples, telling them to escape and make their way to Lord Chester; and assisted by the girls

of the household, who all espoused the cause of the men, she took down the guns, swords, and weapons from

After supperthey cooked plentiful chops for the hungry men, with more beerJack called the men out for

first drill. It was hard work; but then drill cannot at first be anything but hard work. The men were armed with

pikes, guns, clubs, anything; and before nightfall, they had received their first lesson in the art of standing

They slept that night in tents made of sheets spread out on sticksa rough shelter, but enough. But the chiefs

Early in the morning, at daybreak, Lord Chester dropped asleep, worn out. When he awoke, Grace stood over

He stood upon the terrace. The night before, he had seen a group of fellows in smockfrocks shoving each

other abut in a vain attempt to stand in rank and file. Now, the lawns were crowded with men of a different

First and foremost, there were a hundred bronzed and weatherbeaten men armed with gunsthey were

Harry's friends, the keepers, rangers, and foresters; among them stood a score of boys who had been sent

Oh, wonderful conversion! They had been already put into some sort of uniform which was found among the

lumber of the Castle. The jackets were rusty of colour and motheaten, but they made the men look

soldierlike; every man had round his arm a scarlet ribbon; some had scarlet coats, but not many. At sight of

THERE was great excitement in the village of Much cum Milton a little place about thirty miles from

Chester Towersbecause Lady Dunquerque's only son, Algernon, was to be married that day to the great

lawyer, Frederica Roe. Apart from the natural joy with which such an event is welcomed in a monotonous

country village, Algernon was deservedly popular. No better rider, no better shot, no stouter, handsomer lad

was to be found in the countryside; nor was it to his discredit that he was the personal friend of young Lord

Chester, whose case was on everybody's lips; nor, among young people, was it to his discredit that he was

suspected of being on Lady Carlyon's side. The village girls smiled and looked meaningly at each other when

he passed: there were reports that the young man had more than once shown a certain disposition to

freedoms; but these, for the sake of his father's feelings, were not spread abroad; and indeed, in country

districts, things which would have ruined a young man's reputation in townsuch as kissing a dairymaid or a

The only drawback to the general joy was the thought that the bride was over fifty years of age. Even making

great allowances for the safety which experience gives, it is not often that a young man who has attracted the

affections of a woman thirty years his senior, is found to study how to preserve those affections; and even

considering the position offered by a woman safe of the next vacancy among the judges, a difference of thirty

years did seem to these village girls, who knew little of the ways of the great world, a bar to true love. Their

opinion, however, was not asked, and the festivities were not outwardly marred by them.

Early in the morning the village choir assembled on the lawn beneath the bridegroom's chamber, and sang the

The bridegroomelect within his room made no sign; the windowblind was not disturbed. As a matter of

fact, Algy was halfdressed, and was sitting in a chair looking horribly ill at ease.

They began to ring the bells at six; by eight the whole village population was out upon the Green, and the

final preparations were made. Of course there were Venetian masts, with gaycoloured flags flying. The

tables were spread in a great marquee for the feast which, at midday, was to be given to the whole village.

There were to be sports and athletics for the young men on the Green; there was to be dancing in the evening;

there was a band already beginning to discourse sweet music; there was a circus, which was to perform twice,

and both times for nothing; there were gingerbread booths, and rifle galleries, and gipsies to tell fortunes;

they had set up the perambulating theatre for the drama of Punch and Judy, in which the reprobate Punch,

who dares to threaten his wife with violence, and disobeys her orders, is hanged upon the stagea moral

lesson of the greatest value to boys; and there was a conjuringwoman's tent. The church was gaily dressed

with flowers, and all the boys of the village were told off to strew roses, though the season was late, under the

At the Hall an early breakfast was spread; but the young bridegroom, the hero of the day, was late.

"Poor boy," said his sister, "no doubt he is anxious and excited with so much happiness before him."

It was a wellbred family, and the disparity of age was not allowed to be even hinted at. The marriage was to

be considered a lovematch on both sides: that was the social fiction, though everybody knew what was said

and thought. Lady Dunquerque had got the boy off her hands very well: there was an excellent establishment,

and a good position, with a better one to follow; as for lovehere girls looked at each other and smiled.

Love was become a thing no longer possible, except for heiresses, of whom there are never too many. Fifty

years of age and more; a harsh voice, a hard face, a hard manner, an unsympathetic, exact woman, wrinkled

and grayhaired,how, in the name of outraged Cupid, could such a woman be loved by such a lad? But

these things were not even spoken,they were only conveyed to each other by looks, and smiles, and nods,

"I think, Robert," said Lady Dunquerque, "that you had better go up and call Algernon." Sir Robert

When he came down again, his face, usually as placid as the face of a sheep, was troubled.

"Nonsense! the boy must take breakfast. Is he dressed?" Lady Dunquerque was evidently not disposed to

surrender her authority over her son till he had actually passed into the hands of his wife.

"Well, then, go and tell him to come to breakfast at once, without any nonsense."

Sir Robert went once more. Again he came back with the intelligence that the boy refused to come down.

Thereupon Lady Dunquerque herself went up to his room. The two girls looked at each other with

apprehension. Algy was hot headed: he had already, though not before his mother, made use of very strong

language about his bride; could he be meditating some disobedience? Horrible! And the guests all invited,

"I cannot tell you, my dear. I wash my hands of it. Your mother must bring him to reason. I have done my

"My dear, he says nothing shall make him marry the lady. That is all. The day arrived and everything. No

power on earth, he says, shall make him marry the lady. That is all. What will come to us if her ladyship

Just then Lady Dunquerque returned. Her husband, trembling visibly, dared not lift his eyes.

"My dear girls," she said, with the calmness of despair, "we are disgraced for ever. The boy refuses to move.

He disregards threats, entreaties, everything. I have appealed to his obedience, to his religion, to his

honour,all is of no avail. Go yourselves, if you can. Now, Sir Robert, if you have anything to advise, let

"I can advise nothing," said her husband, quite overwhelmed with this misfortune. "Who could have thought

"Yesyes,it is of no use lamenting. What are we to do? Heavens! there are the church bells again!"

Meantime his sisters were with Algernon. They found him sitting grim and determined. Never before had

they seen that expression of determination upon a man's face. He absolutely terrified them.

"You are come to try your powers, I suppose?" he said. "Well; have your say. But remember, no power on

"Algernon!" cried his younger sister. "Is it possible that you . . . you . . . our own brother, should use these

"A great deal more is possible. I, for one, protest against this abominable sale of men in marriage. I am put up

in the market; this rich old lawyer, with a skin of parchment, blood of ink, heart of brown paper, buys me: I

will not be bought. Go, tell my mother that she may do her worst. I will not marry the woman."

"If you will not think of yourself," said his elder sister coldly, "pray think of us. Our guests are invited,they

"I should like," said Algy laughing,"I should like to see the face of Frederica Roe in half an hour's time."

The two girls looked at each other in dismay. What was to be done? what could be said?

"You two little hypocrites!" he went on, "you and your goody talk about the day of happiness! and the

humbugging hymn! and your sham and mockery of the Perfect Woman! and your reign of the Intellect! Wait

a little, my sisters; I promise you a pleasing change in the monotony of your lives."

"Sister," said the younger, "he blasphemes. We must leave him. Oh, unhappy boy! what fate are you

"Come," answered the elder. "Come away, my dear. Algernon, if you disgrace us this day, you shall be no

"I have," he replied"I have. That is the reason why I am here, and why I am staying here."

"My poor father," said his son, speaking in a parable, "my heart has bled for you a long time. Patience!wait

"The last weddingpresent has arrived," said Sir Robert. "What we are to do I cannot, dare not, think. Your

"It is from Lord Chesterthe most magnificent hunter, saddled, and all; with a note."

Algernon sprang to his feet and rushed to the window. On the carriagedrive he saw a little stableboy

leading a horse. He knew the boy as one of Lord Chester'sa sharp, trusty lad. What was the horse saddled

"Congratulations, dear Algy; the happy day has dawned.Yours most sincerely, "CHESTER."

"Among other disasters, you will lose this friend, Algy," moaned his father. "No one can ever speak to you

"Tell my mother, sir, that I am ready," he interrupted, with a most extraordinary change of manner. "I will be

with her as soon as I can complete my toilet. One must be smart upon one's weddingday. Go, dear father,

tell her I am coming downstairs, and beg her not to make a rowI mean, not to allude to the late distressing

Two minutes later he stood in the breakfastroom, actually laughing as if nothing had happened.

"Yes," he replied gaily, as if it had been a question of some simple act of petulance; "it is a good thing, isn't

The girls looked at each other in a kind of stupor. What could men be like that they should so lightly pass

"Tell the boy," he ordered the footman, "to lead the horse to the Green; I should like all the lads to see it. Tell

them it is Lord Chester's gift, with his congratulations on the dawn of the happy daytell them to remember

He seemed to talk nonsense in his excitement. But Sir Robert, overjoyed at this sudden return to obedience,

"Now," said Lady Dunquerque, "we have no time to lose. Girls, you can go on with your father. Algernon, of

When they were left alone, his mother began a lecture, short but sharp, on the duty of marital obedience.

"I say no more," she concluded, "on the lamentable display of temper of this morning. Under the

circumstances, I pass it over on condition that you look your brightest and best all day, and that you show

"I think," he replied, "that in the future, if not today, you will congratulate yourself on my line of action."

A strange thing for the young man to say. Afterwards they remembered it, and understood it.

Meantime the churchyard was full of the village people, and the church was crammed with the guests in

weddingfavours; on the Green the band was discoursing sweet music; in the centre, an object of the deepest

At a quarter to eleven punctually, the carriage containing the bride and principal bridesmaid, a lady also of

the Inner Bar, about her own age, arrived. The bride was beautifully dressed in a rich white satin. She was

met in the porch by the other bridesmaids, including the groom's sisters. All were in great spirits, and even

the harsh face of the bride looked smiling and kind. The sisters, reassured on the score of their brother, were

rejoicing in the sunshine of the day, the crowds, and the general joy. Sir Robert and the other elderly

Hush! silence! Hats off in the churchyard! There are the wheels of the bridegroom's carriage. Here come the

Vicar and the Choir ready to strike up the Processional Hymn. Clash, clang the bells! one more, and

altogether, if it brings down the steeple! Now the lads make a lane outside. Off hats! Cheer with a will, boys!

Hurrah for the bridegroom! He sits beside his mother, his head back, his eyes flashing; he laughs a greeting to

"Capital, Algernon!" says his mother. "Now subdue your joy; we are at the lychgate."

The carriage stopped. Algernon sprang out, and assisted his mother to alight. Then the procession, already

formed, began slowly to move up the aisle singing the hymn, and the notes of the organ rolled among the old

low arches of the little village church; and the Vicar walked last, carrying her hymnbook in her hand,

singing lustily, and thinking, poor woman, that the marriage procession was advancing behind her.

Well, it was not; and when she turned round, having reached the altar, she stared blankly, because there was

After helping Lady Dunquerque out of the carriage, Algernon quietly left her, and without the slightest

appearance of hurry, calmly walked across the Green and mounted Lord Chester's gift.

Then he rode to the churchyard gate, and took off his hat to his bride, and shouted, so that all could hear him,

even in the church, "Very sorry, old lady, but you must look for another husband." Then he turned his horse

Half an hour later, Frederica Roe, after a stormy scene with Lady Dunquerque, which ended in the latter

thanking Providence for having delivered her headstrong boy, even at the last moment, from so awful a

temper, returned with her bestmaid to town. There was laughter that evening when the news reached the

Club. Cruel things, too, were said by the Juniors. There would have been more cruel things but for the

It was naturally a day of Rebuke at the village. The circus, the gipsies, the conjurors, and the acrobats, were

all packed off about their business; there was no feast; the children were sent back to school; the

weddingguests dispersed in dismay; and Lady Dunquerque, with rage and despair in her heart, sat amid her

terrorstricken household, none daring to say a word to soothe and comfort her. Later on, her husband

The summons reached Clarence Veysey on the next day. The boy who brought him the letter had ridden fifty

He was waiting at home in great despondency. The perpetual acting, the deception, tortured his earnest soul;

he lacked companionship; he wanted the conversation of Grace Ingleby; his sisters wearied him with their

talk, and their aimsaims which he was about to make impossible for them. The boy, who was the son of

one of Lord Chester's keepers, came to the house by the garden entrance, and found Clarence walking on the

Then Clarence waited for nothing, but started to walk to Chester Towers. He walked for fourandtwenty

hours; when he arrived he was faint with hunger and fatigue, but he was there. The Rebellion had begun, and

THE FIRST days were spent in drill, in exhortation, in feasting, and in singing. Grace Ingleby fitted new

words to old tunes, and the men sang them marching across the park. A detachment of keepers was placed at

the gates to receive new recruits, and to keep out the women who crowded round them all day longsome

laughing, some crying, some threatening. The women of the Castle, being offered their choice whether to

remain in the service of the Earl or to go at once, divided themselves into two partiesthe elder women

deciding to go, and the younger to remain; "for," as they said, "if the men ride all over the country, as Mrs.

Ingleby says they will, what can we women do to keep them down?" And then they blamed the unequal

marriages, and irreligious things were said about the Duchess of Dunstanburgh. Those who stayed were

employed in making rosettes and ribbons in scarlet silk, and in getting out of the old lumberrooms all the

"First rule," said Jack the prudent, "keep the men's spirits upwith beer, and singing, and feasting; next,

Every hour raised the spirits of the men, every moment new recruits came in, who were greeted with shouts,

beer, and exhortation, chiefly from the cobbler, who now wore a glittering helmet, and carried a tenfoot

In the course of the next two or three days all the Bishop's disciples came in: Clarence Veysey, dusty and

wayworn, yet full of ardour; Algy Dunquerque rode in gallantly, laughing at his escape. The others came in

one after the other, eager for employment, and were at once set to work. No time this for lovemaking; but

Grace exchanged a few words with Clarence, and Faith ran about among the men, telling them all that

Captain Dunquerque was her sweetheart, asking who were the girls they loved, and how they wooed them,

and so delightfully turning everything upside down that she was better than all the barrels of beer.

Lord Chester was the Chief, but Captain Dunquerque was the favourite. It was he who kept everybody in

good spiritswho organised races in the evening, set the men to box, to wrestle, to fight with singlestick,

with prizes and cheering for the winners; so that the lads for the first time in their lives felt the fierce joy of

battle and the pride of victory. It was Captain Dunquerque who had a word for every man, forgetting none of

their names; who praised them and encouraged them, was all day long in the camp, never tired, never lost his

temperas some of the keepers did who were promoted to be sergeants; who was generous with the beer;

who promised to every man money, independent work, and a pretty wifeafter the Cause was won. So that

Algy Dunquerque, the first commanderinchief under the new r�gime, began his popularity as the soldiers'

On the evening of his arrival, Clarence preached to the men a faithful discourse, which yet only revealed

He bade them remember that they were, as men, the workers of the worldnothing could be done except by

them; and then he told them some of the wonders which had been accomplished by their forefathers in the

days when men had been acknowledged to be the thinkers and creators as well as the workers, and he told

them in such simple language as he could command, how, since women had taken over the reins, everything

had gone backwards. Lastly, he bade them remember what they were, what their lives had been, how slavish

and how sad, and what their lives would still continue to be unless they freed themselves.

"Time wasthe good old timewhen every man could raise himself, when there was a ladder from the

lowest station to the highest. Now, as you are born, so you must die. No rising for youno hope for you.

Work and slaveand die. That is your lot. They invented a religion to keep you down. They told you that it

is the will of Heaven that you should obey women. It is a LIE." The preacher shouted the words. "It is a LIE.

There is no such religion; and I am here to teach you the Truth, when you have proved that you are fit to

The preacher was received with an indifference which was discouraging. In fact, the men had been preached

at so long, that they had ceased to pay any attention to sermons. Nor could even Clarence's earnestness

surpass that of the Preaching Order, the Holy sisterhood, which trained its members in the art of inspiring

The address finished, the men betook them once more to singing, while the beer went round about their

campfires. Here was a glorious change! Even the gamekeepersa race not easily movedcongratulated

each other on the recovery of their freedom. That night a proclamation was made in camp that every man

would receive his pay himselfthe same as that earned in the fieldsin full. Men looked at each other and

wondered. Those who only half believed in the Cause were reassured. To be paid, instead of seeing your wife

paid, proved, as nothing else could, the strength and reality of the Rebellion. Another proclamation was

made, repealing all prohibitions for men to assemble, remain outofdoors after sunset, and form societies.

This was even more warmly received than the former proclamation, because many of the men did not know

what to do with their money when they got it; whereas they had all of them learned this grand pleasure of

On that night and the next, two councils were held, big with importance to the Realm of England. The first of

these was at Chester Towers, under the presidency of Lord Chester. There were present the Bishopwhose

impatience made him set out on the first receipt of the newsClarence Veysey, Algernon Dunquerque, Jack

Kennion, and the rest of the disciples. The Professor and the girls were in the room but they did not speak.

They sat until late considering many things. Had they known more of man's real nature, there would have

been no hesitation, and a bold forward march might have saved many difficulties. The Bishop and Clarence

Veysey, who believed the Truth by itself a sufficient weapon, wanted to await the arrival of all Englishmen in

the Park, and meantime to be preaching perpetually. Algernon was for movement. The Chief at last decided

on a compromise. They would advance, but slowly; and would send out, meanwhile, scouts and small parties

to bring in recruits. The danger of the Revolt, provided it were sufficiently widespread, lay chiefly in the

imagination. It was difficult even for the leaders, who had been so long and so carefully trained by the Bishop

and his wife, to shake off the awe inspired by the feminine oppression and their early training. Every woman

seemed still their natural ruler, yet the Reign of Woman rested on no more solid basis than this awe. Its only

defence lay in the regiments of Horse Guards and its Convict Wardens; while, to make the latter available,

The other council of war was held in the House of Peeresses, called together hastily. There had been grave

disquiet all day long; and though nothing definite was known, it was whispered that there was an outbreak of

the Men. A Cabinet Council was called at noon, the Home Department was agitated, the secretaries went

about with pale faces, there was continual ringing of bells and scurrying of clerks, the Archbishop of

Canterbury was sent for hurriedly, crowds of women gathered about the lobbies of the House, and it was

presently known everywhere that the thing most dreaded of all things had happeneda Rising. Outside the

House it was not yet known where this had occurred, nor under what leaders: within, the doors were closed,

and in the midst of a silence most profound and most unusual, the Duchess of Dunstanburgh rose, with papers

She briefly announced that a rebellion had broken out in Norfolk. A score or so of poor peasants belonging to

one small village had risen in revolt. They were headed by Lord Chester. It was nothinga mere lamentable

Then she sat down. All faces were turned immediately to her Grace's young rival. Lady Carlyon rose and

asked if her Grace had any more details to give the House. She implored the Government to put the House in

possession of all the facts, however painful they might be. The Duchess replied that the news of this

insurrection, about which there could unfortunately be no doubt, reached her that morning only. It arrived in

the shape of a Report drawn up by the Vicar of Chester Towers, and sworn before two justices of the peace.

The rising, if it was worthy to be called by such a name, was begun by the forcible rescue from the hands of

the law of a certain blacksmitha scoundrel guilty of wifebeating in its most revolting forms. He was torn

from the hands of the police by Lord Chester and a gamekeeper. The misguided young man then called upon

the men of the village to rise and follow him. He led them to his own Castle. He was joined by a body of

gamekeepers, and men connected with manly sports of other kinds. By the last advices, he had gone the

desperate length of defying the Government, and was now drilling and arming his troops. The Duchess

assured the House again that there was nothing to fear except a probable loss of life, which was lamentable,

but must be faced; that the Government had ordered two thousand of the Convict Wardens to be held in

readiness, and that meanwhile they had sent two sisters of the Holy Preaching Order with twenty constables

to disperse the mob. As for the ringleaders, they appeared to be, besides Lord Chester himself, Professor

Ingleby of Cambridge, her husband, her two daughters, and a band of some halfdozen young gentlemen.

The House might rest assured that signal justice would be done upon these mad and wicked people, and that

no favour should be shown to rank or sex. As for herself, the House knew the relations which existed between

Lady Carlyon sprang to her feet, and asked what relations these were. The Duchess went on to say that there

was no occasion to dilate upon what was perfectly well known. She would, however, assure the House that

this unhappy man had cut himself off altogether from her sympathy. She gave up, without a sigh, hopes that

had once been dear to her, and left a miscreant so godless, so abandoned, to his fate.

Lady Carlyon begged the House to suspend its judgment until the facts were clearly known. At present all

that appeared certain was, that a body of men had locked themselves within the gates of Lord Chester's park.

The Duchess replied that at the right moment the alleged grievances, if there were any, would be laid before

Lady Carlyon asked again whether one of the grievances was not the customfalsely alleged to be based

upon religion which compelled young men to marry women who were unsuitable and distasteful to them

This was the signal for the most frightful scene of disorder ever witnessed in the House; for all Peeresses with

husbands younger than themselves screamed on one side, and the young Peeresses on the other. After a little

quiet had been obtained, Lady Carlyon was heard again, and accused the Duchess of Dunstanburgh of being

herself the sole cause of the Insurrection. "It is time," she said, "to use plainness of speech. Let us recognise

the truth that a young man cannot but abhor and loathe so unnatural a union as that of twenty years with forty,

fifty, sixty. For my own part, I do not wonder that a man so highspirited as Lord Chester should have been

driven to madness. All in this House know well without any pretences as to the honour of Peeresses, that a

majority in favour of the Duchess was certain. Can any one believe that the judgment of the House would

have been given for the happiness of the young man? Can any one believe that he could have contemplated

the proposed union without repugnance? We know well what the end of the rising may be; and of this am I

well assured, that the blood of this unhappy boy, and the blood of all those who perish with him, are upon the

Then began another terrible scene, in which all the invective, the recrimination, the accusations, the

insinuations, of which the language is capable, seemed gathered together and hurled at each other: there was

no longer a Government and an Opposition; there was the wrath of the young, who had seen, or looked to see,

the men they might have loved torn from them by the old; there was the fury of the old, calling upon

Constance withdrew in the height of the battle, having said all she had to say. It was a clear and bright

morning; the sun was already rising; there were little groups of women hanging about the lobbies still,

waiting for news. One of them stepped forward and saluted Constance. She was a young journalist of great

"I know nothing but what I have heard from . . . from the Duchess." It was by an effort that Constance

"We have heard more," the journalist went on. "We have heard from Norfolk, by a girl who galloped

headlong into town with the intelligence, and is now at the War Office, that, yesterday morning at nine

o'clock, Lord Chester rode out of his Park, followed by his army, carrying banners, and armed with guns,

pikes, and swords. They are said to number at present some two or three hundred only."

Constance was too weary and worn with the night's excitement to receive this dreadful news. She burst into

"Edward," she cried, "you rush upon certain death!" Then she recovered herself. "Stay! let me think. We must

do something to allay the excitement. The Government will issue orders to keep the men at homethat is

their first thought. We must do more: we must agitate for a reform. There is one concession that must be

made. Go at once and write the strongest leader you ever wrote in all your life: treat the rebellion as of the

slightest possible importance; do not weigh heavily upon the unhappy Chief; talk as little as possible about

misguided lads; say that, without doubt, the men will disperse; urge an amnesty; and then strike boldly and

unmistakably for the great grievance of men and women both. Raise the Cry of `The Young for the Young!'

It was, however, too late for newspaper articles: a wild excitement ran through the streets of London; the men

were kept indoors; workmen who had to go abroad were ordered not to stop on their way, not to speak with

each other, not to buy newspapers. Special constables were sworn in by the hundred. Later on, when it

became known that the insurgent forces were really on their southward march, a proclamation was issued,

ordering a general day of humiliation, with services in all the churches, and prayers for the safety of Religion

and the Realm. The Archbishop of Canterbury herself performed the service at Westminster Abbey, and the

Meantime, spite of law and orders, the countrypeople flocked from all sides to see the gallant show of Lord

Chester's little army. Captain Dunquerque led the van, which consisted of fifty stalwart keepers. At the head

of the main body rode the Chief, clad in scarlet, with glittering helmet; with him were the officers of his Staff,

also gallantly dressed and splendidly mounted. Next came, marching in fours, his army of three hundred

sturdy countrymen, armed with rifle and bayonet; after them marched the younger men, some mere lads,

carrying guns of all descriptions, pikes, and even sticks,not one among these that did not carry a cockade:

their banner, borne by two of the strongest, was of red silk, with the words, "We will be free!" An immense

crowd of women looked on as they started: some of them cursed and screamed; but the girls laughed. Then

other men of the villages broke away from their wives and sisters, and marched beside the soldiers, trying to

keep in step, snatching their cockades, and shouting with them. Last of all came a little band of twentyfive,

mounted, who served to keep the crowd from pressing too closely, and guarded a carriage and four, in which

were the Bishop, the Professor, and the two girls. They sat up to their knees in scarlet cockades and rosettes,

In this order they marched. After the first few hours, it was found that, besides a great number of recruits, the

army had been joined by at least a hundred village girls, who walked with them and refused to go back. They

followed their sweethearts. "Let us keep them," said the Professor: "they will be useful to us."

At the next haltingplace she had all these girls drawn up before her, and made them a speech. She told them

that if they desired a hand in the great work, they might do their part: they would be allowed to join the army

on condition of marching apart from the men; of not interfering with them in any way; of doing what they

were told to do, and of carrying a banner. To this they readily consented, being, in fact, to one woman,

enraged with the existing order of things, and caring very little about being the mistress if they could not have

Whenever they passed a house, Lord Chester sent half a dozen men to seize upon whatever arms they could

find, and all the ammunition, if there was any. They had orders, also, to bring out the men, whom the officers

inspected; and if there were any young fellow among them, they offered him a place in their ranks. A good

many guns were got in this way, but very few men, the young men of the middle class being singularly

spiritless. They had not the healthy outdoor life, with riding, shooting, and athletics, that men of Lord

Chester's rank enjoyed; nor had they the outdoor work and companionship which hardened the nerves of the

farmlabourers. Mostly, therefore, they gazed with wonder and terror at the spectacle; and on being brought

out and harangued, meekly replied that they would rather stay at home, and retired amid the jeers of the

Several pleasant surprises were experienced. At one house, the squire, a jolly foxhunting old fellow, turned

out with his four sons, all well mounted, and brought with him a dozen good rifles with a large supply of

ammunition. The old fellow remarked that he was sixtyfive years of age, and had been wishing all his life,

and so had his father and his grandfather before him, to put an end to the intolerable upsidedown condition

of things. "And mind, my lady," he shouted to his wife and daughters, who were standing by, filled with rage

and consternation, "you and the girls, when we get back again, will sing another tune, or I will know the

When they marched through a village the trumpets blew, the drums beat, the soldiers shouted and sang; then

the men were brought out, and invited to join; the place was searched for arms, and the company of women

ran about congratulating the girls of the place on the approaching abolition of Forced Marriages.

The first day's march covered twenty miles. The army had passed through five villages and one small town;

they had seized on about two hundred guns of all kinds, and a considerable quantity of ammunition; they had

increased their ranks by two hundred and fifty strong and lusty fellows. The evening was not allowed to be

wasted in singing and shouting. Drill was renewed, and the newcomers taught the first elements of marching

in step and line. For the first time, too, they attempted a sham fight, with sad blunders, as may be imagined.

"They are good material," said the Professor, "but your army has yet to be formed."

"They have had too much preaching all their lives," said the Bishop. "We will conquer first, and preach

The second day's march was like the first; but the little army was now swelling beyond all expectations. At

the close of the second day it numbered a thousand, and commissariat difficulties began. Here the company

of women proved useful. They were all country girls, able to ride and drive; they "borrowed" the carts of the

farmhouses, and, escorted by soldiers, drove about the country requisitioning provisions. It became

necessary to have wagons: these also were borrowed, and in a short time the army dragged at its heels an

immense train of wagons loaded with ammunition, provisions, and stores of all kinds. For everything that

was taken, an order for its value was left behind, stamped with the signature of "Chester."

At the close of the second day's march, being then near Bury St. Edmunds, they were two thousand strong; at

the end of the third, being on Newmarket Heath, they were five thousand; and here, because the place was

open and the position good, a halt of three days was resolved upon, in which the men might be drilled, taught

to act together, and divided into corps; also, sham fights would be fought, and the men, some of whom were

little more than boys, could grow accustomed to the discharge of guns and the use of their weapons. The

camp was protected by sentinels, and the cavalry scoured the country for recruits and information. As yet no

sign had been made by the Government. But on Sunday morning, being the third day of the halt, the scouts

brought in a deputation from the House of Peeresses, consisting of two Sisters of the Holy Preaching Order,

and a guard of twentyfive policewomen. Lord Chester and his staff rode out to meet them.

"The terms offered by the House to the insurgents," replied one of the Sisters, "are, first laying down of arms,

"Justice," replied the Sister sternly. "Now stand aside and let us address the men."

"Go call a dozen of the women's company," he ordered. "Now," when they came, "take these two Sisters, and

march them through the camp with drum and fife. These are the women who are trained to terrify the men

with lying threats, false fears, and vain superstitions. As for you policewomen, you can go back and tell the

The officers of law looked at each other. They saw before them spread out the white tents of the camp, the

splendid army, the glittering weapons, the brilliant uniforms, the flags, the noise and tumult of the camp, and

they were afraid. Presently they beheld, with consternation, the most singular procession ever formed. First

went the drums and fifes; then came, handcuffed, the two Holy Preaching Sistersthey were clad in their

sacred white robes, to touch which was sacrilege; behind them ran and danced the troop of village girls,

shouting, pointing, singing their new songs about Love and Freedom; and the soldiers came forth from their

tents clapping their hands and applauding. But the Bishop sent word that they were to be stripped of their

white robes and turned out of the camp. It was in ragged flannel petticoats that the poor Sisters regained their

The three days' halt finished, Lord Chester gave the word to advance. And now his army, he thought, was

large enough to meet any number of Convict Wardens who might be sent against him. He had eight thousand

men, hastily drilled, but full of ardour; he had a picked corps of five hundred guards, consisting of his faithful

gamekeepers and the men who had been always with gentlemen about their sports. These were good shots,

and pretty sure to be steady even under fire. He had five hundred cavalry, mostly mounted well, and

consisting of farmers' sons, officered by the foxhunting squire, his four sons, and a few other gentlemen

who had come in. The difficulty now was to admit all who crowded to the camp. For the news had spread

over all England, and the roads were crowded with young fellows flying from their homes, defying the rural

The time was come for a bold stroke. It was resolved to leave Jack Kenniongreatly to his discontent, but

there was no helpbehind, to receive recruits, and form an army of reserve. Lord Chester himself, with the

main body and Algy Dunquerque, was to press on. The boldest stroke of all was the surprise of London, and

this it was decided to attempt. For by this time the ardour of the troops was beyond the most sanguine hopes

of the leaders: the submissiveness of three generations had disappeared in a week; the meek and docile lads

whose wives received the pay, and ordered them to go and sit at home when there was no work to do, were

changed into hardy, reckless, and enthusiastic soldiers. Turenne himself had not a more dare devil lot. They

were nearly all young; they had never before been free for a single day; they rejoiced in their new

companionship; they gloried in the sham fights, the wrestling, the singlestickall the games with which the

fighting spirit was awakened in them. As for the march, it was splendid: they sang as they went; if they did

not sing, they laughedthe joy of laughter was previously unknown to these lads. The ruling sex did not

laugh among themselves, nor did they understand the masculine yearning for mirth. In the upper classes

jesting was illbred, and in the lower it was irreligious. Irreligious! Why, in this short time the whole army

All over the country the men were rising and rushing to join Lord Chester. The great conspiracy was not

alone answerable for this sudden impulse; nor, indeed, had the conspirators been successful in the towns,

where the spirit of the men had been effectually crushed by long isolation. Here, however, the leaflets

distributed among the girls bore good fruit. Not a household in the country but was now fiercely divided

between those who welcomed the rebellion and those who hated and dreaded the success of the men: on the

one side, orthodoxy, age, conservatism; on the other, youth, and the dream of an easy life, rendered easier by

the work and devotion of a lover. So that, though the towns remained outwardly quiet, they were ready for

The army presented now an appearance very different from the ragged regiment which sallied forth from the

gates of the Park. They were dressed in uniform: the guards wore a dark green tuniconly proved shots

were admitted into their body; the cavalry were in scarlet, the line were in scarlet; the artillery wore

darkgreen. All the men were armed with rifles. Of course, the uniforms were not in all cases complete, yet

every day improved them; for among the volunteers were tailors, cobblers, and handicraftsmen of all kinds,

whose services were given in their own trades. The great banner, with the words "We will be free!" was

carried after the Chief, and in the rear marched the company of a hundred girls, also in a kind of uniform,

The line of march was kept as much as possible away from the towns, because it was thought advisable not to

irritate the municipalities until the time came when they could be gently upset; also, the material of the men

in the towns was not of the sturdy kind with which they hoped to win their battles.

Nothing more was heard of the House of Peeresses. What, then, were they doing? They were holding

meetings in the morning, and wrangling. No one knew what to propose. They had sent executive officers of

the law to the camp; these had been contemptuously told to go back. They had summoned the leaders to lay

down their arms; they had been informed that Lord Chester would dictate his own terms. They had sent

Preaching Sisters,the most eloquent, the most persuasive, the most sacred: they had been stripped of their

sacred robes, tied to a carttail, and driven through the camp by women, amid the derision of

The army was reported as marching southwards by rapid marches, headed by Lord Chester. They passed

Bury St. Edmunds and Cambridge, without, however, entering the town. They recruited as they went; so that

beside the regularly drilled men, now veterans of a fortnight or so, it was reported that the line of march was

followed for miles by runaway boys, apprentices, grooms, artisans, and labourers shouting for Lord Chester

and for liberty. All these things, and worse, were hourly reported to the distracted House.

"And what are we doing?" shrieked the Duchess of Dunstanburgh. "What are we doing but talk? Are we,

then, fallen so low, that at the first movement of an enemy we have nothing but tears and recrimination? Is

this a time to accuse meME of forcing the rebel chief into rebellion? Is it not a time to act? When the

rebellion is subdued, when the Chief is hanged, and his miserable followers floggedyes, flogged at the

very altars they have deridedlet us resume the strife of tongues. In the name of our sex, in the name of our

They looked at each other, but no one proposed the only step left to them. Lady Carlyon was no longer

among them. She would attend no more sittings. The clamour of tongues humiliated her. She sat alone in her

"On me," said the Duchess solemnly, "devolves the duty, the painful duty, of reminding the House that there

is but one way to meet rebellion. All human institutions, even when, like our own, they are of Divine origin,

are based uponForce. Law is an idle sound withoutForce. Duty, religion, obedience, rest ultimately

uponForce. These men have dared to band themselves together against law, order, and religion. We must

remember that they represent a very small, a really insignificant, section of the men of this country. It is

cheering, at this moment of gloom and distress, to receive by every post letters from every municipality in the

country expressing the loyalty of the towns. Order reigns everywhere, except where this turbulent boy is

leading his troopsto destruction. I use this word with the utmost reluctance; but I must use this word. I

saydestruction. Among the ranks of that army are men known to many in this House. My own

gamekeepers, many of my own tenants' sons and husbands, are in that rabble rout of raw, undisciplined, and

imperfectly armed rustics. Yet I saydestruction. We have now but one thing to do. Call out our

prisonguards, and let loose these fierce and angry hounds upon the foe. I wait for the approval of the

All lifted their hands, but in silence; for they were sadly conscious that they were sending the gallant, if

mistaken fellows to death, and bringing sorrow upon innocent homes. The House separated, and for a while

there was no more recrimination. The Duchess called a Cabinet Council, and that night messengers sped in all

directions to bring together the Convict Guardsnot only the two thousand first ordered to be in readiness,

but as many as could be spared. It was resolved to replace them by men chosen from the prisoners, whose

cases, in return for their service, should have favourable consideration. By forced marches, and by seizing on

every possible means of conveyance, it was reckoned that they could muster some ten thousand,all strong,

desperate villains, capable of anything, and a match for twice that number of raw village lads.

They came up in dribletshere a hundred and there a hundred from the various prisons throughout the

country: they were men of rough and coarse appearance; they wore an ugly yellow uniform; they bore

themselves as if they were ashamed of their calling, which certainly was the most repulsive of any; they

They were received by clerks of the Prison Department, who sent them off to camp in Hyde Park, where

rations of some kind were prepared for them. The clerks showed them scant courtesy, which, indeed, they

seemed to take as a matter of course; and once established in their camp, they gave no trouble, keeping quite

Three days were thus expended. The excitement of the town was frightful. Business was suspended, prayers

were offered at all the churches every morning, the men were most carefully kept from associating together,

constables patrolled in parties of four all night long, and continually the postgirls came galloping along the

roads bringing the news. "They are coming, they are coming!" Oh, what was the Government about? Could

they do nothing, then? What was the use of the Convict Wardens, unless they were to be sent out to arrest the

leaders and shoot all who refused to disband and disperse? But there were not wanting ominous whispers

among the crowds of wild talkers. What, it was asked, would happen if the men did come? They would take

the power into their own hands. Very good. It could not be in worse hands than Lady Dunstanburgh's. They

would turn the women out of the Professions. Very well, said the younger women. They only starved in the

Professions; and if the men were in power, they would have to find homes and food at least for their sisters

In three days Lord Chester was at BishopStortford. Next, he was reported to be encamped in Epping Forest.

His cavalry had seized the arsenal at Enfield, which, with carelessness incredible, had been left in charge of

two aged women. This gave him a dozen pieces of ordnance. He was on the march from Epping; he was but a

few miles from London; contradictory rumours and reports of all kinds flew wildly about; he was going to

massacre, pillage, and plunder everything; he was afraid to advance farther; he would destroy all the

churches; he was restrained at the last moment by respect for the faith in which he had been brought up; his

men had mutinied; his men clamoured to be led on London. All these reports, and more, were whispered from

one to the other. What was quite certain was, that the Convict Wardens were all arrived, and were under

orders to march early in the morning. And it was also certain, because girls who had ventured on the north

roads had seen them, that the rebels were encamped on Hampstead Heath, and it was said that they were in

high spiritssinging, dancing, and drinking. No one knew how many they werethousands upon

There was little sleep in London during that night. The married women remained at home to calm the

excitement of the men, now getting beyond their control. The unmarried women flocked by thousands to

Hyde Park to look at the tents of the Convict Wardens, now called the Army of Avengers. In every tent eight

men, more than a thousand tents; ten thousand men; the fiercest, bravest, most experienced of men. What a

IT was evening when the rebel leader stood upon the heights of Hampstead and looked before him, by the

light of the setting sun, upon the hazy and indistinct mass of the great city which he was come to conquer.

Behind him his ten thousand men, with twice ten thousand followers, were erecting their tents and setting up

the camp with a mighty bustle, noise, and clamour. Yet there was no confusion. Thanks to the administrative

capacity of Algy Dunquerque, all was done in order. The Professor, who had left her carriage, stood beside

Lord Chester. He was dismounted, and, with the aid of a glass, was trying to make out familiar towers in the

"I do not fear. They are brave fellows. Yetto think that their blood must be spilt!"

"There spoke Lord Chester of the past, not the gallant Prince of the present. Why, what if a few hundreds of

dead men strew this field tomorrow provided the Right prevails? Of what good is a man's life to him, if he

does not give it for the sacred cause? To give a lifewhy, it is to lend a thing; to hasten the slow course of

time; to make the soul take at a single leap the immortality which comes to others so slowly. Fear not for the

"It is because I am a woman," she replied. "Let me fulfil the highest function of my sex."

"From Captain Dunquerque, my lord," he began. "The Convict Wardens are encamped in force in Hyde Park;

they number ten thousand, and have got thirty guns; they march tomorrow morning."

"Ten thousand strong!" said the Professor. "Then they have left the prisons almost without a guard. When

these are dispersed, where will they find a new army? They are delivered into your hands."

Hampstead Heath may be approached by two or three roads: there is the direct road up Haverstock Hill; or

there is the way by the Gospel Oak and the Vale of Health; or, again, there is the road from the north, or that

from Highgate. But the way by which the Convict Wardens would march from Hyde Park was most certainly

that of Haverstock Hill; and they would emerge upon the Heath by one of the narrow roads known as Holly

Hill, Heath Street, and the Grove,probably by all three. Or they might attempt the upper part of the Heath

The plan of battle was agreed to with very little debate, because it was simple.

The cannon, loaded with grapeshot and masked by bushes, were drawn up to command these three streets.

Behind the cannon the Guards were to lie, ready to spring to their feet and send in a volley after the first

The cavalry were to be posted among the trees, on the spot called after a once famous tavern which formerly

stood there Jack Straw's Castle; the infantry, now divided into five battalions, each two thousand strong,

were to lie in their places behind the Guards. These simple arrangements made, the Chief rode into the camp

They needed little encouragement; the men were in excellent spirits; the news that they would have to fight

those enemies of mankind, the Convict Wardens, filled them with joy. Not one among them all but had some

friend, some relation immured within the gloomy prisons, for disobedience, mutiny, or violence; some had

themselves experienced the rigours of imprisonment, and the tender mercies of the ruffians who were allowed

to maintain discipline with rod and lash, rifle and bayonet. These were the men who were coming out to shoot

Lord Chester and his Staff rode about the camp, making speeches, cheering the men, drinking with them, and

encouraging them. Their liberties, he told them, were in their own hand: one victory, and the cause was won.

Then he inspired them with contempt as well as hatred for their opponents. They were men who could shoot

down a flying prisoner, but had never stood face to face with a foe: they were coming out, expecting to find a

meek herd, who would fly at the first shot; in their place they would meet an army of Englishmen. The men

shouted and cheered: their spirit was up. And later on, about ten o'clock, a strange thing happened. No one

ever knew how it began, or who set it going; but from man to man the word was passed. Then all the army

rose to their feet, and shouted for joy; then the company of girls came, and shed tears among them, but for

joy; and some, including the girl they had called Susan, fell upon the necks of their old sweethearts, and

kissed them, bidding them be brave, and fight like men; and those who were old men wept, because this good

The young men, they said, were to abandon the wives they had been forced to marry. With Victory they were

It was about ten o'clock when Lord Chester sought the Bishop's tent. He had just concluded an Evening

"We are here," said Lord Chester, "for a few wordsit may be of farewell. My Lord Bishop, are you

"I give you all," he said solemnly, "my blessing. Go on and prosper. But as we may fail and so die, because

victory is not of man, let those who have aught to say to each other say it now."

"I love your daughter Faith. Give us your consent, my Lord Bishop, before we go out to fight."

The Bishop took the girl by the hand, and gave her to the young man, saying, "Blessed be thou, O my

Then Clarence Veysey spoke likewise, and asked for Grace; and with such words did the father give her to

"I hope," said Lord Chester, smiling gravely, "that one of you will live at least long enough to take my last

message to Lady Carlyon. You will tell her, Grace, or you, my dear Professor, that my last thought was for

her." But as he spoke the curtain of the tent was pulled aside, and Constance herself stood before them.

She was pale, and tears were in her eyes. She wore a riding habit; but it was covered with dust.

"I came because I can bear it no longer. I came to warn you, and to help your escape, if that may be. The

Duchess has issued a warrant for my arrest,for High Treason: that is nothing," with a proud gesture. "They

will say I ran away from the warrant: that is false. Edward, your life is gone unless you are twenty miles from

"Come, Constance," said the Professor, "you are hot and tired. Rest a little; drink some water; take breath.

"Oh, no! . . . no! . . . you cannot be. Listen! They have ten thousand Convict Wardens in Hyde Park . . ."

"Their orders are to shoot down all without parley; alldo you hear?who are found with arms. The Chiefs

"If they have orders to shoot all who do not fly, my men, for their part, have orders not to fly, but to shoot all

"Wait till morning, Constance, and you shall see. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"Yes. After the Wardens have dispersed the rebels, the Horse Guards are to be ordered out to ride them

"Oh!" said Lord Chester. "Well . . . after we are dispersed, we will consider the question of the riding down.

"Thank you, Constance; you have given me one piece of intelligence. I confess I was uncertain about the

Guards. And now, dear child,"he called her, the late Home Secretary, "dear child,""as this is a solemn

night, and we have much to think of and to do . . . one word before we part. Constance, you have by this act

of yours, cast in your lot with us, because you thought to save my life. Everything is risked upon tomorrow's

She made no reply. The old feeling, the overwhelming force of the man, made her cheek white and her heart

He took herbefore all those witnessesin his arms, and kissed her on the forehead. "Stay with us, my

She had no power to resist, none to refuse. She was conquered; Man was stronger than Woman.

Constance started. She knew not this kind of language, which was borrowed from the Books of the Ancient

"There are many things," said the Bishop, "of which you know not yet, Lady Carlyon. After tomorrow we

will instruct you. Meantime it is late; the Chief has business; I would be alone. Go you with my daughters

The very atmosphere seemed strange to Constance: the young men in authority, the women submissive; this

old man speaking as if he were a learned divine, reverend, grave, and accustomed to be heard; and, outside,

the voices of men singing, of arms clashing, of music playing,all the noise of a camp before it settles into

"Can they," Constance whispered to Grace Ingleby, looking round her outside the tent"will they dare to

"Oh, Lady Carlyon!" Grace replied, "you do not know, you cannot guess, what wonderful things Lord

Chester has done with the men in the last fortnight. From poor, obedient slaves, he has made them men

"Men!" Constance saw that she could not understand the word in the sense to which she had been

"Surely you know," Grace went on, "that our object is more than we have ventured to proclaim. We began

with the cry of `Youth for the Young.' That touched a grievance which was more felt, perhaps, in country

districts, where men retained some of their independence, than in towns. But we meant very much more. We

shall abolish the Established Church, and the supremacy of Woman. Man will reign once more, and will

worship, after the manner of his ancestors, the real living Divine Man, instead of the shadowy Perfect

"We shall take our own placewe shall be the housewives; we shall be loving and faithful servants to men,

and they will be our servants in return. Love knows no mastery. Yet man must rule outside the house."

"Believe me, this is the true place of woman; she is the giver of happiness and love; she is the mother and the

wife. As for us, we have reigned and have tried to rule. How much we have failed, no one knows better than

Grace guided her companion to a great marquee, where the company of girls, sobered now, and rather tearful,

because their sweethearts were to go afighting in earnest on the morrow, were making lint and bandages.

"I must go on with my work," said Grace. Her sister Faith was already in her place, tearing, cutting and

shaping. "Do you lie down: here is a pile of lintmake that your bed, and sleep if you can."

Constance lay down; but she could not sleep. She already heard in imagination the tramp of the cruel Convict

Wardens; she saw her lover and his companions shot down; she was herself a prisoner; then, with a cry, she

By this time the girls were all silent, and some were crying; for the day was dawningthe day when these

When, about halfpast five, the first rays of the September sun poured into the marquee upon the group of

Constance knelt with the rest, but the prayer touched her not. She was only sad, while Grace sorrowed with

Then Faith Ingleby raised her sweet strong voice, and, with her, the girls sang together a hymn which was

This act of worship and submission done, they returned to their work. Outside, the camp began gradually to

awaken. Before six o'clock the fires were lit, and the men's breakfast was getting ready; by seven o'clock

Constance went out to look at the strange sight of the rebel army. Her heart beat when she looked upon the

Regiments were forming, companies marching into place, flags flying, drums beating, and trumpets calling.

And the soldiers!saw one ever such men before? They were marching, heads erect and flashing eyes; the

look of submission gonefor ever. Yes; these men might be shot down, but they could never be reduced to

He stood without his tent his Staff about him, looking round him. Authority was on his brow; he was indeed,

Constance felt with sinking heart, that hitherto incredible thinga Man in command.

But as she spoke, Lord Chester saw them; and leaving his Staff, he walked across the Heath, bearing his

She did it, trembling and tearful. Then, while Faith Ingleby did the same office for Algernon, he took her in

his arms and kissed her lips in the sight of all the army. Every man took it as a lesson for himself. He was to

Everything was now in readiness. The cannon, masked by bushes, were protected by the pond in front; on

either side were the guards ready to lie down; behind them, the regiments, massed at present, but prepared for

open order; and in the trees could be seen the gleaming helmets and swords of the cavalry.

And then there happened the most remarkable, the most surprising thing in the whole of this surprising

campaign. There was a movement among the men in front, followed by loud laughing and shouting; and then

a party of girls, some of the Company of women which followed the army, came flying across the Heath

breathless, because they had run all the way from Marble Arch to convey their news.

"The Army of Avengersthe Convict Wardens. They have all run away, and there is not one left."

Then the girls looked at each other and laughed, but were a little ashamed, because they were not quite sure

"It seemed such a pity," said one of them, presently, "that any of our own brave fellows should be killed."

"So that we . . . we stole into the camp when they were asleep and we frightened them; and they all ran away,

"Woman's wit," he said. "Would you and I have thought of such a trick? Go, girls, tell the Bishop."

"And after all this drilling," he said, with a sigh, "and all our shouting, there is to be no fighting!"

THE AWFUL nature of the crisis, and the strangeness of the sight, kept the streets in the neighbourhood of

the Camp in Hyde Park full of women, young and old. They roamed about among the tents, looking at the

sullen faces of the men, examining their arms, and gazing upon them curiously, as if they were wild beasts.

Not one among them expressed the least friendliness or kind feeling. The men were regarded by those who

About midnight the crowd lessened; at two o'clock, though there were still a few stragglers, most of the

curious and anxious politicians had gone home to bed; at three, some of them still remained; at fourthe

darkest and deadest time of an autumn nightall were gone home, every special constable even, and the

There still remained, however, a little crowd of some two or three dozen girls; they were collected together

about the Marble Arch. They had formed, during the evening, part of the crowd; but now that this was

dispersed, they seemed to gather together, and to talk in whispers. Presently, as if some resolution was arrived

The men were lying down, mostly asleep; but they were not undressed, so as to be ready for their early

Presently the girls found, in the darkness, a cart containing drums. They seized them and began drumming

with all their might. Then they separated, and ran about from tent to tent; they pulled and haled the sleepers,

startled by the drums, into terrified wakefulness; they cried as soon as their men were wide awake, "Wake up

all!wake up!run for your lives!the rebels will be on us in ten minutes! They are a hundred thousand

strong: run for your lives!they have sworn to hang every Convict Warden who is not shot. Oh, run, run,

run!" Then they ran to the next tent, and similarly exhorted its sleepers. Consider the effect of this nocturnal

alarm. The men slept eight in a tent. There were about thirty girls, and somewhat more than a thousand tents.

It is creditable to the girls that the thirty made so much noise that they seemed like three thousand to the

startled soldiers. To be awakened suddenly in the dead of night, to be told that their enemies were upon them,

to hear cries and screams of warning, with the beating of drums, produced exactly the consequences that were

expected. The men, who had no experience of collective action, who had no officers, who had no heart for

their work, were bewildered; they ran about here and there, asking where was the enemy: then shots were

heard, for the girls found the rifles and fired random shots in the air; and then a panic followed, and they

fledfled in wild terror, running in every direction, leaving their guns behind them in the tents, so that in a

quarter of an hour there was not one single man of all the Army of Avengers left in the Camp.

The orders were that the march should begin about six o'clock in the morningthat is, as soon after sunrise

It was also ordered that the Army of Avengers should be followed by the Head of the Police Department,

Lady Princetown, with her assistant secretaries, clerks, and officers, and that they should be supplied with

tumbrils for the conveyance to prison of any who might escape the vengeance prepared for them and be taken

At a quarter past six o'clock an orderly clerk proceeded to the Camp. To her great joy the Camp was empty;

she did not observe the guns lying about, but as there were no men visible, she concluded that the Army was

Then the order of the Police Procession was rapidly arranged; and it too followed, as they thought, the march

By this time a good many women were in the streets or at the windows of the houses. Most of the streets were

draped with black hangings, in token of general shame and woe that man should be found so inexpressibly

guilty. The church bells tolled a knell; a service of humiliation was going on in all of them, but men were not

allowed to participate. It was felt that it was safer for them to be at home. Consequently, the strange spectacle

of a whole city awake and ready for the day's work, without a single man visible, was, for one morning only,

The Police Procession formed in Whitehall, and slowly moved north. It was headed by Lady Princetown,

riding, with her two assistant secretaries; after them came the chief clerks and senior clerks of the

Department, followed by the messengers, police constables, and servants, who walked; after them followed,

with a horrible grumbling and grinding of wheels, the six great black tumbrils intended for the prisoners.

The march was through Regent Street, Oxford Street, the Tottenham Court Road, Chalk Farm, and so up

Haverstock Hill. Everywhere the streets were lined with women, who looked after the dreadful signs of

punishment with pity and terror, even though they acknowledged the justice and necessity of the step.

These men, they told each other, had torn down Religion, scoffed at things holy, and proclaimed divorce

where the husband had been forced to marry; they pretended that theirs was the right to rule; they were going

Yet, always, the whisper, the suspicion, the doubt, the question, put not in words, but by looks and

gestures,"What have we women done that we should deserve to rule? and which among us does not know

that the Religion of the Perfect Woman was only invented by ourselves for the better suppression of man?

And the sight, the actual sight, of those officers of law going forth to bring in the prisoners, was a dreadful

Slaughtering, shooting down, bayoneting, no doubt. No farther off than the heights of Hampstead their

terrible work was going on. It spoke well for the zeal of these devoted soldiers that they had marched so early

in the morning that no one had seen them go by. Very odd, that no one at all had seen them. Would Lord

Chester escape? And whatoh what!would be done with Lady Carlyon, Professor Ingleby and her two

daughters, and the crowd of girls who had flocked to London with the rebels? Hangingmere

The Procession reached the top of Haverstock Hill. Hampstead Hill alone remained. In a short time the

relentless Lady Princetown would be on the field of action. Strange, not only that no sign of the Army had

been seen, but that no firing had been heard! Could Lord Chester have fled with all his men?

Now just before the Police Procession reached the Heath, they were astonished by a clattering of mounted

soldiers, richly dressed and gallantly armed, who rode down the narrow streets of the town and surrounded

them. They were a detachment of cavalry headed by Captain Dunquerque, who saluted Lady Princetown

"I have the honour," he said, "to invite your ladyship to take a seat in a tumbril. You are my prisoner."

"You mean the Convict Wardens? They fled before daylight. Come, my lads, time presses."

In a few moments the whole of the Chiefs of the great Police Department were being driven in the rumbling

black tumbrils, followed by the Lancers, towards the rebel camp. They looked at each other in sheer despair.

"As for you women," said Captain Dunquerque, addressing the clerks and constables, "you can go free.

He left them staring at each other. Presently a few turned and hurried down the Hill to spread the news. But

Men, such as they had never dreamed of, bravely dressed, and bearing themselves with a gallant

masterfulness which frightened those who saw it for the first time. Presently a trumpet blew and the men fell

in. Then the astonished women saw that wonderful thing, the evolutions of an army. The regiments were

drawn up in a great hollow square. At one corner stood the fatal black tumbril with Lady Princetown and her

aides sitting dolefully and in amazement. Bands of music stood in the centre. Presently Lord Chester, the

"Men of England!" he cried, "our enemies have fled. There is no longer any opposition. We march on London

The shouts of the soldiers rent the air. When silence was possible, the Bishop, venerable in lawnsleeves and

"I proclaim Edward, sometime called Earl of Chester, lawful hereditary King of Great Britain and Ireland.

Then the officers of the Staff did homage, bending the knee and kissing the hand of their Sovereign. And the

bands struck up again, playing the old and wellnigh forgotten air "God save the King!" And the soldiers

shouted again. And Lady Princetown saw, indeed, that the supremacy of women was gone.

After the advancecavalry came the Guards, preceding and following the King. Before him was borne the

Royal Standard, made long ago for such an occasion by Grace and Faith Ingleby. The bands played and the

soldiers sang "God save the King" along the streets. The houses were crowded with women's faces some

anxious, some sad, some angry, some rejoicing, but all frightened; and the wrath of those who were wrathful

waxed fiercer when the company of girls followed the soldiers, dressed in "loyal" ribbons and such finery as

The House of Peeresses was sitting in permanence. Some of the ladies had been sitting all night; a few had

fallen asleep; a few more had come to the House early, unable to keep away. They all looked anxious and

At nine o'clock the first of the fugitives from the Police Procession arrived, and brought the dreadful news

that the Army of Avengers had dispersed without striking a blow, that Lady Princetown was a prisoner, and

Then the Duchess of Dunstanburgh informed the terror stricken House that she had ordered out the three

regiments of Guards. They were to be hurled, she said, at the rebels; they would serve to harass and keep

them in check while a new army was gathered together. She exhorted the Peeresses to remain calm and

collected, and, above all, to be assured that there was not the slightest reason for alarm.

At the first news of the dispersion of the Avengers, the wives of the Guardsmen, acting with one common

consent, made for the barracks and dragged away the soldiers, every woman her own husband to her own

home, where she defied the clerks of the War Office, who rushed about trying to get the men together. For

greater safety the women hid away the bootsthose splendid boots without which the Horse Guards would

be but as common men. Of the three thousand, there remained only two orphan drummerboys and a

sergeant, a widower without sisters. To hurl this remnant against Lord Chester was manifestly too absurd

On the top of this dreadful news, the House was informed by the Chancellor that the officers sent to carry out

the arrest of Lady Carlyon reported that her ladyship had fled, and was now in Lord Chester's camp with the

"The next thing, ladies," said a middleaged Peeress who had been conspicuous all her life for nothing in the

world except an entire want of interest in political questions, "is that our reign is over. Man has taken the

power in his own hands. For my own part, I am only astonished that he has waited so long. It needed nothing

but the courage of one young fellow to light the fire with a single spark. I propose that a vote of thanks be

passed to her Grace the Duchess of Dunstanburgh, whose attempt to marry a man young enough to be her

She sat down, and the Duchess sprang to her feet, crying out that the House was insulted and that these

"We shall all be taken down ourselves," replied the noble lady who had spoken, "before many hours. Can we

not devise some means of dying gracefully? At least let us spare ourselves the indignity of being hustled

down the steps of Westminster Hall, as the unlucky Department of Police has been this morning hustled on

Several proposals were made. It was proposed to send a deputation of religion. But the Preaching Sisters had

been rejected with scorn, when the army was still small and hesitating. What would happen, now that they

were victorious? It was proposed that they should send a thousand girls, young, beautiful, and richly dressed,

to make overtures of peace, and charm the men back to their allegiance. The young Lady Dunlop aged

eighteenicily replied that they would not get ten girls to go on such an errand.

It was proposed, again, that they should send a messenger offering to treat preliminaries on Hampstead Hill.

The messenger was despatchedshe was the Clerk of the Housebut she never came back.

Then the dreadful news arrived that the conqueror had assumed the title of King, and was marching with all

At this intelligence, which left nothing more to be expected but complete overthrow, the Peeresses cowered.

"As everything is gone," said the middleaged lady who had first expressed her opinion, "and as the streets

will be extremely uncomfortable until these men settle down, I shall go home and stay there. And I should

recommend your ladyships to do the same, and to keep your daughters at home until they can learn to

behaveas they have tried to make the men behave. My dears, submission belongs to the sex who do none

She got up and went away, followed by about half the House. About a hundred Peeresses were left.

"I," said the Duchess of Dunstanburgh, "shall remain with the Chancellor till I am carried out."

"I," said the Chancellor, "shall remain to protest against the invasion of armed men and the trampling upon

"And I," said young Lady Dunlop, loud enough to be heard all over the House, "shall remain to see Lord

ChesterI mean, His Majesty the King. He is a handsome fellow, and of course Constance will be his

"Ladies," said the Duchess, dignified and austere to the last, "it is at least our duty to make a final stand for

Lady Dunlop scoffed. "Religion!" she cried. "Have we not had enough of that nonsense? Which of us

believes any more in the Church? Even men have ceased to believeespecially since they were called upon

to marry their grandmothers. The Perfect Woman! Why, we are ourselves the best educated, the best bred, the

best bornand look at us! As for me, I shall go over to Lord Chester's religion, and in future worship the

The Duchess made no reply. She had received so many insults; such dreadful things had been said; her

cherished faiths, prejudices, and traditions had been so rudely attacked,that all her forces were wanted to

maintain her dignity. She sat now motionless, expectant, haggard. The game was played out. She had lost.

It was then about halfpast three in the afternoon. They waited in silence, these noble ladies, like the Senators

of Rome when the Gaul was in the streetswithout a word. Before long the tramp of feet and the clatter of

The very servants and officers, the clerks, of the House, had run away; there was not a woman in the place

There hung behind the Chancellor a heavy curtain rich with gold and lace: no one in that House had ever seen

the curtain drawn. Yet it was known that behind it stood the image in marble of the only Sovereign

When the trampling of feet was heard in Westminster Hall, the Duchess of Dunstanburgh rose and slowly

walkedshe seemed ten years oldertowards this curtain: when the doors of the House were thrown open

The Guards came after, marching up the floor of the House. They formed a lane. Then came the Bishop in his

robes, preceded by his chaplain, the Rev. Clarence Veysey, surpliced, carrying a Book upon a velvet cushion;

then the officers of the Staff with drawn swords; last, in splendid dress and flowing robes, the King himself.

As he entered, the Duchess drew aside the curtain and revealed, standing in pure white marble, with undraped

limbs, wonderful beyond expression, the Heavendescended figure of the Perfect Woman.

The young priest in surplice and cassock sprang upon the platform on which the figure stood and hurled it

Then no more remained. The ladies rose with a shriek, and in a moment the House was empty. It is not too

And while the King took his place upon the throne, the bands struck up again, the soldiers shouted, volleys of

Strange to say, the dense crowd which gathered about the army of victory outside the Hall consisted almost

THE GREAT Revolution was thus accomplished. No woman was insulted: there was no pillage, no licence,

no illtreatment of anybody, no revenge. The long reign of woman, if it had not destroyed the natural ferocity

and fighting energy of men, had at least taught them respect for the weaker sex.

The next steps, are they not written in the Books of the Chronicles of the country?

Thus, because the streets were crowded with women come out to see, to lament, sometimes to curse, a

proclamation was made ordering all women to keep within doors for the present, except such as were sent out

to exercise children, and such as received permission for special purposes: they were forbidden the right of

public meeting; the newspapers were stopped; religious worship of the old kind was prohibited.

These apparently harsh and arbitrary measures, rendered necessary by the refractory and mutinous conduct of

the lower classes of women, who resented their deposition, were difficult to enforce, and required that every

street should be garrisoned. To do this, thirty thousand additional men were needed: these were sent up by

Jack Kennion, who had recruited double that number. As the women refused to obey, and it was impossible

to use violence towards them, the men were ordered to turn the hose upon them. This had the desired effect;

and a few draggled petticoats, lamentable in themselves, proved sufficient to clear the streets.

Then the word was given to bring out all the men and parade them in districts. Indeed, before this order, there

were healthy and encouraging signs on all sides that the spirit of revolt was spreading even in the most

The men who formed the first army were entirely country born and bred. They had been accustomed to work

together, and freedom became natural to them from the first. The men whom the Order of Council brought

out of the houses of London were chiefly the men of the middle classthe most conventional, the worst

educated, the least valuable of any. They lacked the physical advantages of the higher classes and of the

lower; they were mostly, in spite of the laws for the Promotion of Health and Strength of Man, a puny, sickly

race; they had been taught a trade, for instance, which it was not considered genteel to practice; they were not

allowed to work at any occupation which brought in money, because it was foolishly considered

ungentlemanly to work for money, or to invade, as it was called, woman's Province of Thought. Yet they had

no money and no dot; they had very little hope of marrying; and mostly they lounged at home, peevish,

Yet when the day of deliverance came, they were almost forcibly dragged out of the house, showing the

utmost reluctance to go, and clinging like children to their sisters and mothers.

"Alas!" cried the women, "you will find yourselves among monsters and murderers, who have destroyed

They were brought in companies of a hundred each before the officers of the Staff. At first they were turned

out to camp in Hyde Park and other open places, where the best among them, finding themselves encouraged

to cheerfulness, and in no way threatened or ill treated by these monsters, began to fraternise, to make

friends, to practise gymnastics, to entertain rivalries, and in fact to enter into the body corporate. To such as

these, who were quickly picked out from the ignoble herd, this new life appeared by no means disagreeable.

They even began to listen to the words of the new Preachers, and the doctrines of the new Religion; they

turned an obedient ear to the exhortations of those who exposed the inefficacy of the old Government.

Finally, they were promoted to work of all kinds in the public departments, or were enlisted in the Army. It

presently became the joy of these young fellows to go home and show their new ideas, their new manners,

their new uniforms, and their new religion to the sisters whose rule they acknowledged no longer.

There came next the feeble youths who had not the courage to shake off the old chains, or the brains to adopt

the new teaching. These poor creatures could not even fraternise; they knew not how to make friends. It was

thought that their best chance was to be kept continually in barracks, there to work at the trade they had been

taught, to eat at a common table, to live in common rooms, and to be made strong by physical exercise. Out

of this poor material, however, very little good stuff could be made. In the longrun, they were chiefly turned

Allusion has been made to the barracks in which were confined the unmarried men who had no friends to

keep them. Among these were the poor creatures afflicted with some impediment to marriage, such as

humpback, crooked back, consumptive tendencies, threatenings of heart disease, cerebral affections,

asthma, gout, and so forth. They were employed in houses of business at a very small rate of pay, receiving in

return for their labour nothing for themselves but free board and lodging in the barracks. It is curious to relate

that these poor fellows proved in the reorganisation of civic matters the most useful allies: they had lived so

long together that they knew how to act together; they were so cheap as servants, and so good, that they had

been entrusted with most important offices; in short, when the Government seemed about to fall to pieces by

the threatened closing of all the mercantile houses, these honest fellows stepped to the front, took the reins,

directed the banks, received the new menclerks, taught and assigned their duties, and, in fine, carried on the

The question of religion was the greatest difficulty. Where were the preachers? There were but two or three in

whom trust could be placed; and these, though they did their best, could not be everywhere at once.

Therefore, for a while, the Religion of the Perfect Woman having been abolished, there seemed as if nothing

The Government for the present consisted of the titular King, who was not yet crowned, and the Council of

State. There were no ministers, no departments, no Houses of Parliament. As regards the Lower House, it

would have been unwise to elect it until the constituencies had learned by experience in local matters,

something of the Art of Government. But the Upper? Consider that for two hundred years the title had

descended through the mother to the eldest daughter. This being reversed, it became necessary to seek out the

rightful heirs to the old titles by the male line. No titles were to be acknowledged except those which dated

back to the old kings. These, which had been bestowed in obedience to the old laws, were to be claimed by

their rightful owners. Now, it is easy to see that while a title held the female branches of the House together,

because each would hope that the intervening claimants would drop out, the male branches would not be so

careful to preserve their genealogies, and so a great many titles would be lost. This, indeed, proved to be the

case, and out of the six hundred Peers who enjoyed their rank under Victoria of the nineteenth century,

scarcely fifty were recovered. Many of these, too, were persons of quite humble rank, who had to be

All later titles were swept away together; nor was any woman allowed a title save by marriage, unless she

was the daughter of a Duke, a Marquis, or an Earl, when she might bear a courtesy title. Of course, the late

Peeresses found themselves not only deprived of their power, but even of their very names; and it was the

most cruel of all the misfortunes which befell the old Duchess of Dunstanburgh, that she found herself

reduced from her splendid position to plain and simple Mrs. Pendlebury, which had been the name of her

third husband. All her estates went from her, and she retired to a firstfloor lodging at Brighton, where she

lived on the allowance made her by the Relief Commission appointed by Government for such cases as hers.

As regards public opinion on this and other changes, there was none, because Society was as yet not

reestablished; and the new daily papers were only feeling their way slowly to the expression of opinion. It

remains to be told how these changes were received by the sex thus rudely set aside and deposed.

It cannot be denied that among the elders there was disaffection amounting to blind hatred. Yet what could

they do? They could no longer combine; they had no papers; they had no club; they had no halls; they had no

theatres for meeting; they had no discussionforums,as of old. Even they had no churches; and although in

the past days they seldom went into a church, regarding religion as a thing belonging to men, they now made

it their greatest grievance, that religion had been abolished. In private houses the worship of the Perfect

Woman was long continued by those who had been brought up in that faith, and in days when it was actually

As for the younger women, they, too, differed. The lower orders, for a long time, regretted their ancient

liberty, when they could leave the husband to work in the house, children and all, and talk together the

livelong day. But in time they came round. The middleaged women, especially those of the professional

classes, no doubt suffered greatly by being deprived of the work which was to them their chief pleasure.

Some compensation was made to them by a system of partnership, in which practice in their own houses and

private consultations were allowed some of them for life. As for the very young, it took a short time indeed to

No more reading for professions! Hurrah! Did any girl ever really like reading law? No more drudgery in an

They gave in with astonishing readiness to the new state of things. They ceased to grumble directly they

First, no anxiety about study, examinations, and a profession. Next, no responsibilities. Next, unlimited time

to look after dress and matters of real importance. Then, no longer having to take things gravely on account

of the weaker sex,the men, who now took things merrilyeven too merrily. Lastly, whereas no one was

formerly allowed to marry unless she could support a husband and family, and then one had to go through all

sorts of humiliating conferences with parents and guardians,under the new r�gime every man seemed

making love with all his might to every girl. Could anything be more delightful? Was it not infinitely better to

be wooed and made love to when one was young, than to woo for oneself when one had already passed her

Then was born again that sweet feminine gift of coquetry: girls once more pretended to be cruel, whimsical,

giddy, careless, and mischievous; the hard and anxious look vanished from their faces, and was replaced by

sweet, soft smiles; flirtation was revived under another namemany names. A maiden loved to have half a

dozenyea, she did not mind half a hundreddangling after her, or kneeling at her feet; men were taught

that they must woo, not be wooed, and that a woman's love is not a thing to be had for the mere asking: and

dancing was revivedreal honest dancing of sweetheart and maid. There was laughter once more in the

land; and all the songs were rewritten; and such pieces were enacted upon the stage as would but a month ago

have taken everybody's breath away. And there was a general burning of silly books and bad pictures; and

they began to open churches for the new Worship, and always more and more the image of the Divine Man

Finally, these things having been settled in the best way possible, it was resolved to hold the Coronation of

"Constance," he said holding her in his arms, "you believe that I have always loved you, do you not?"

"Nay, now I know. There is the Perfect Woman; but she lives in the shadow of the Divine Man: she has her

place in the Order of the World; but it is not the highest place. We reigned for a hundred years and more, and

everything fell to pieces; you return, and all begins to advance again. It is as if the foot of woman destroyed

the flowers which spring up beneath the foot of man. King, if I am to become your wife, I shall also become

"You are my Queen," he said; "together we will reign: it may be for the good of our people. We have little

On the day of the Coronation, by Royal Order, all classes of the people were bidden to the ceremony; as

many as could be admitted were invited to the Abbey. Along the line of march they had raised seats one

above the other, covered with awnings. An innumerable crowd of people gathered at early morning, and took

At ten the Peers began to arrivethe newly recognised Peers the men who had been brought up in

ignorance of their origin and rank. They were uneasy in their robes and coronets; they had been carefully

instructed in their part of the ceremony, but they were nervous. However, the people outside did not know

Long before halfpast ten there was not a vacant place in the Abbey; the venerable church was crowded with

ladies, who were anxious to make the Coronation the point of a new departure; Society, it was said, would

begin again with a King. No doubt, many ladies whispered, women were, after all, poor administrators; their

nature was too tender, too much disposed to pity, which produced weakness. Men, who received these

confessions, laughed courteously, but remembered the crowded prisons, and the prisoners, and the Convict

At eleven o'clock the procession started from Buckingham Palace. The ancient ceremonials were copied as

closely as possible. After the bands came the mounted Guards; then followed heralds; then came the

Venerable Bishop of London, who was to crown the King, in a carriage; then officers of State on horseback;

then the King's faithful Guards, those sturdy gamekeepers who stood by him at the beginning; and last of all,

save for a regiment of cavalry which brought up the rear, the King himself on horsebackgallant, young,

handsome, his face lit with the sunshine of success; and riding beside himat sight of whom a shout went up

It appeared, when they arrived at the Abbey, that the coronation was to be preceded by another and an

unexpected ceremony. For the organ pealed forth the "Wedding March"; there were waiting at the gates a

dozen bridesmaids in white and silver; the choristers were ready with a weddinghymn; and the Bishop, with

the Very Rev. Clarence Veysey, newly appointed Dean of the Abbey, was within the altarrails to make this

Then followed, without pause, the Coronation service, with the braying of trumpets, the proclamation of

heralds, the King's solemn oath, the crowning of King and Queen, and the homage of the Peers. And amid the

shouts of the people, while cannon fired feux de joie, and the bells rang, and the bands played "God save the

King," the newlycrowned monarch rode back to his Palace, bringing home with him the sweetheart of his

Now there is so much grace and virtue in a real love match that it goes straight to the heart of all who witness

it. And since such fruits as these manifestly followed with Man's administration, not a maiden among them