"Mine?" Lind said, frankly, "Ah no! not the inspiration of it. I am only the mechanic putting brick and brick together; the design is not mine, nor that of any one man. It is an aggregate project--a speculation occupying many a long hour of imprisonment--a scheme to be handed from one to the other, with alterations and suggestions."
"But even your share of it--how can one man control so much?" Brand said; for he easily perceived what a ma.s.s of detail had to pa.s.s through this man"s hands.
"I will tell you," said the other. "Because every stone added to the building is placed there for good. There is no looking back. There are no pacifications of revolt. No questions; but absolute obedience. You see, we exact so little: why should any one rebel? However, you will learn more and more as you go on; and soon your work will be appointed you. Meanwhile, I thank you, brother."
Lind rose and shook his hand.
"Now," said he, "that is enough of business. It occurred to me this morning that, if you had nothing else to do this evening, you might come and dine with us, and give Natalie the chance of meeting you in your new character."
"I shall be most pleased," said Brand; and his face flushed.
"I telegraphed to Evelyn. If he is in town, perhaps he will join us.
Shall we walk home?"
"If you like."
So they went out together into the glare and clamor of the streets.
George Brand"s heart was very full with various emotions; but, not to lose altogether his English character, he preserved a somewhat critical tone as he talked.
"Well, Mr. Lind," he said, "so far as I can see and hear, your scheme has been framed not only with great ability, but also with a studied moderation and wisdom. The only point I would urge is this--that, in England, as little as possible should be said about kings and priests. A great deal of what you said would scarcely be understood here. You see, in England it is not the Crown nowadays which instigate or insists on war; it is Parliament and the people. Dynastic ambitions do not trouble us. There is no reason whatever why we here should hate kings when they are harmless."
"You are right; the case is different," Lind admitted. "But that makes adhesion to our programme all the easier."
"I was only speaking of the police of mentioning things which might alarm timid people. Then as for the priests; it may be the interest of the priests in Ireland to keep the peasantry ignorant; but it is certainly not so in England. The Church of England fosters education--"
"Are not your clergymen the bitterest enemies of the School Board schools?"
"Well, they may dislike seeing education dissociated from religion--that is natural, considering what they believe; but they are not necessary enemies of education. Perhaps I am a very young member to think of making such a suggestion. But the truth is, that when an ordinary Englishman hears anything said against kings and priests, he merely thinks of kings and priests as he knows them--and as being mostly harmless creatures nowadays--and concludes that you are a Communist wanting to overturn society altogether."
"Precisely so. I told Natalie this morning that if she were to be allowed to join our a.s.sociation her English friends would imagine her to be _petroleuse_."
"Miss Lind is not in the a.s.sociation?" Brand said, quickly.
"As yet no women have been admitted. It is a difficulty; for in some societies with which we are partly in alliance women are members. Ah, such n.o.ble creatures many of them are, too! However, the question may come forward by-and-by. In the mean time, Natalie, without being made aware of what we are actually doing--that, of course, is forbidden--knows something of what our work must be, and is warm in her sympathy. She is a good help, too: she is the quickest translator we have got."
"Do you think," Brand said, somewhat timidly, but with a frown on his face, "that it is fair to put such tedious labor on the shoulders of a young girl? Surely there are enough of men to do the work?"
"You shall propose that to her yourself," Lind said laughing.
Well, they arrived at the house in Curzon Street, and, when they went up-stairs to the drawing-room, they found Lord Evelyn there. Natalie Lind came forward--with less than usual of her graciously self-possessed manner--and shook hands with him briefly, and said, with averted look,
"I am glad to see you, Mr. Brand."
Now, as her eyes were cast down, it was impossible that she could have noticed the quick expression of disappointment that crossed his face.
Was it that she herself was instantly conscious of the coldness of her greeting, and anxious to atone for that? Was it that she plucked up heart of grace? At all events, she suddenly offered him both her hands with a frank courage; she looked him in the face with the soft, tender, serious eyes; and then, before she turned away, the low voice said,
"Brother, I welcome you!"
CHAPTER XIII.
SOUTHWARD.
After a late, cold, and gloomy spring, a glimpse of early summer shone over the land; and after a long period of anxious and oftentimes irritating and disappointing travail--in wet and dismal towns, in comfortless inns, with a.s.sociates not always to his liking--George Brand was hurrying to the South. Ah, the thought of it, as the train whirled along on this sunlit morning! After the darkness, the light; after fighting, peace; after the task-work, a smile of reward! No more than that was his hope; but it was a hope that kept his heart afire and glad on many a lonely night.
At length his companion, who had slept steadily on ever since they had entered the train at Carlisle, at about one in the morning, awoke, rubbed his eyes, and glanced at the window.
"We are going to have a fine day at last, Humphreys," said Brand.
"They have been having better weather in the South, sir."
The man looked like a well-dressed mechanic. He had an intelligent face, keen and hard. He spoke with the Newcastle burr.
"I wish you would not call me "sir,"" Brand said, impatiently.
"It comes natural, somehow, sir," said the other, with great simplicity.
"There is not a man in any part of the country, but would say "sir" to one of the Brands of Darlington. When Mr. Lind telegraphed to me you were coming down, I telegraphed back, "Is he one of the Brands of Darlington?" and when I got his answer I said to myself, "Here is the man to go to the Political Committee of the Trades-union Congress: they won"t fight shy of him.""
"Well, we have no great cause to grumble at what has been done in that direction; but that infernal _Internationale_ is doing a deal of mischief. There is not a trades-unionist in the country who does not know what is going on in France. A handful of irresponsible madmen trying to tack themselves on to the workmen"s a.s.sociation--well, surely the men will have more sense than to listen. The _congres ouvrier_ to change its name, and to become the _congres revolutionnaire_! When I first went to Jackson, Molyneux, and the others, I found they had a sort of suspicion that we wanted to make Communists of them and tear society to pieces."
"You have done more in a couple of months, sir, than we all have done in the last ten years," his companion said.
"That is impossible. Look at--"
He named some names, certain of them well known enough.
The other shook his head.
"Where we have been they don"t believe in London professors, and speech-makers, and chaps like that. They know that the North is the backbone and the brain of England, and in the North they want to be spoken to by a North-countryman."
"I am a Buckinghamshire man."
"That may be where you live, sir: but you are one of the Brands of Darlington," said the other, doggedly.
By-and-by they entered the huge, resounding station.
"What are you going to do to-night, Humphreys? Come and have some dinner with me, and we will look in afterward at the Century."
Humphreys looked embarra.s.sed for a moment.
"I was thinking of going to the Coger"s Hall, sir," said he, hitting upon an excuse. "I have heard some good speaking there."
"Mostly bunk.u.m, isn"t it?"
"No, sir."