第26章

Mrs.Wilcox cannot be accused of giving Margaret much information about life.And Margaret，on the other hand，has made a fair show of modesty，and has pretended to an inexperience that she certainly did not feel.

She had kept house for over ten years；she had entertained，almost with distinction；she had brought up a charming sister，and was bringing up a brother.Surely，if experience is attainable，she had attained it.

Yet the little luncheon-party that she gave in Mrs.

Wilcox's honour was not a success.The new friend did not blend with the "one or two delightful people"who had been asked to meet her，and the atmosphere was one of polite bewilderment.Her tastes were simple，her knowledge of culture slight，and she was not interested in the New English Art Club，nor in the dividing-line between Journalism and Literature，which was started as a conversational hare.The delightful people darted after it with cries of joy，Margaret leading them，and not till the meal was half over did they realize that the principal guest had taken no part in the chase.There was no common topic.Mrs.Wilcox，whose life had been spent in the service of husband and sons，had little to say to strangers who had never shared it，and whose age was half her own.Clever talk alarmed her，and withered her delicate imaginings；it was the social；counterpart of a motorcar，all jerks，and she was a wisp of hay，a flower.Twice she deplored the weather，twice criticized the train service on the Great Northern Railway.They vigorously assented，and rushed on，and when she inquired whether there was any news of Helen，her hostess was too much occupied in placing Rothenstein to answer.

The question was repeated："I hope that your sister is safe in Germany by now."Margaret checked herself and said，"Yes，thank you；I heard on Tuesday."But the demon of vociferation was in her，and the next moment she was off again.

"Only on Tuesday，for they live right away at Stettin.

Did you ever know any one living at Stettin？""Never，"said Mrs.Wilcox gravely，while her neighbour，a young man low down in the Education Office，began to discuss what people who lived at Stettin ought to look like.Was there such a thing as Stettininity？Margaret swept on.

"People at Stettin drop things into boats out of overhanging warehouses.At least，our cousins do，but aren't particularly rich.The town isn't interesting，except for a clock that rolls its eyes，and the view of the Oder，which truly is something special.

Oh，Mrs.Wilcox，you would love the Oder！The river，or rather rivers--there seem to be dozens of them--are intense blue，and the plain they run through an intensest green.""Indeed！That sounds like a most beautiful view，Miss Schlegel.""So I say，but Helen，who will muddle things，says no，it's like music.The course of the Oder is to be like music.

It's obliged to remind her of a symphonic poem.The part by the landing-stage is in B minor，if I remember rightly，but lower down things get extremely mixed.There is a slodgy theme in several keys at once，meaning mud-banks，and another for the navigable canal，and the exit into the Baltic is in C sharp major，pianissimo.""What do the overhanging warehouses make of that？"asked the man，laughing.

"They make a great deal of it，"replied Margaret，unexpectedly rushing off on a new track."I think it's affectation to compare the Oder to music，and so do you，but the overhanging warehouses of Stettin take beauty seriously，which we don't，and the average Englishman doesn't，and despises all who do.Now don't say 'Germans have no taste，'or I shall scream.They haven't.But--but--such a tremendous but！--they take poetry seriously.They do take poetry seriously.

"Is anything gained by that？"

"Yes，yes.The German is always on the lookout for beauty.He may miss it through stupidity，or misinterpret it，but he is always asking beauty to enter his life，and I believe that in the end it will come.At Heidelberg I met a fat veterinary surgeon whose voice broke with sobs as he repeated some mawkish poetry.So easy for me to laugh--I，who never repeat poetry，good or bad，and cannot remember one fragment of verse to thrill myself with.My blood boils--well，I'm half German，so put it down to patriotism--when I listen to the tasteful contempt of the average islander for things Teutonic，whether they're Böcklin or my veterinary surgeon.'Oh，Böcklin，'they say；'he strains after beauty，he peoples Nature with gods too consciously.'Of course Böcklin strains，because he wants something--beauty and all the other intangible gifts that are floating about the world.So his landscapes don't come off，and Leader's do.""I am not sure that I agree.Do you？"said he，turning to Mrs.Wilcox.

She replied："I think Miss Schlegel puts everything splendidly"；and a chill fell on the conversation.