She filled his blank, "And a martyr?"
"What can you expect when a man mates like that?"
"It"s natural," she pleaded.
"Natural? It"s one of the most unnatural marriages I"ve ever come across. It"s a crime against nature for a man like Tanqueray to have taken that poor little woman--who is nature pure and simple--and condemn her to----"
She drew back visibly. "I know. He doesn"t see it," she said.
"He doesn"t see anything. He doesn"t even know she"s there. How can he?
His genius runs to flesh and blood, and he hasn"t room for any more of it outside his own imagination. That"s where you are with your great realists."
She gazed at him, astonished, admiring. This visionary, this poet so estranged from flesh and blood, had put his finger on the fact.
"You mean," she said, "a visionary would see more?"
He shrugged his shoulders at her reference.
"He would have more room," he said, "that would be all. He could at any rate afford to take more risks."
They were silent again.
"I believe," he said presently, "somebody"s coming. I shall have to go."
Jane turned her head. The sounds he heard so distinctly were inaudible to her.
They proved to be footsteps on the staircase, footsteps that could never have been Rose"s nor yet Tanqueray"s. They paused heavily at the door.
Some one was standing there, breathing.
A large woman entered very slowly, and Jane arrived, also slowly, at the conclusion that it must be Mrs. Eldred, George"s wife"s aunt.
Mrs. Eldred acknowledged her presence and Prothero"s by a vague movement of respect. It was not till Prothero had gone that she admitted that she would be glad to take a chair. She explained that she was Rose"s aunt, and that she had never been up them stairs before and found them tryin".
Jane expressed sorrow for that fact and for Rose"s illness.
Mrs. Eldred sighed an expository sigh.
"She"s frettin" an" she"s worritin". She"s worritin" about "Im. It isn"t natch"ral, that life "E leads, and it"s tellin" on "er."
"Something"s telling on her."
Mrs. Eldred leaned forward and lowered her voice. "It"s this way, miss.
"E isn"t properly a "usban" to "er."
"You shouldn"t say that, Mrs. Eldred. He"s very fond of her."
"Fond of "er I dare say "E may be. But "E neglec"s "er."
"You shouldn"t say that, either."
"Well, miss, I can"t "elp sayin" it. Wot else _is_ it, when "E shuts "imself up with "is writin" all day long and "alf the night, and she a-settin" and a-frettin"?"
She looked round the room, apparently recognizing with resentment the scene of Tanqueray"s perpetual infidelity.
"But," said Jane, "he"d be away as much if he was in business."
""Ef "E was in business there"d be the evenin"s to look forward to. And there"d be "is Sat.u.r.days and Sundays. As it is, wot is there for her to look forward to?"
"At any rate she knows he"s there."
"It"s knowin" that "E"s there wot does it. It"s not as if she "ad a "ouse to look after, or a little baby to take "er mind orf of "im."
"No, it isn"t."
A sound of yapping came faintly up from the ground-floor.
"That"s Joey," said Mrs. Eldred tearfully, ""er Pom as she was so fond of. I"ve brought "im. And I"ve brought Minny too."
"Minny?" Jane had not heard of Minny.
"The cat, miss. They"ll keep "er company. It"s but right as she should "ave them."
Jane a.s.sented warmly that it was but right.
"It"s not," Mrs. Eldred continued, "as if she came reg"lar, say once in a week, to see "er uncle and me. She"ll go to Camden Town and set with that poor old Mr. Gunning. Give Rose any one that"s ill. But wot is that _but_ settin"? And now, you see, with settin" she"s ill. It"s all very well when you"re brought up to it, but she isn"t. Rose"d be well if she "ad a "ouse and did the work in it. And "E won"t let "er "ave it. "E won"t "ear of "er workin", "E says."
"Well, naturally, he wouldn"t like to see his wife working."
"Then, miss, "E should "ave married a lady "as wouldn"t want to work.
That"s wot "E should have done. We were always against it from the first, "er uncle and me was. But they was set, bein" young-like."
Mrs. Eldred"s voice ceased suddenly as Tanqueray entered. Jane abstained from all observation of their greeting. She was aware of an unnatural suavity in Tanqueray"s manner. He carried it so far as to escort Mrs. Eldred all the way down to the ground-floor sitting-room where Rose was.
He returned with considerable impetus to Jane.
"Well, Jinny, so you"ve seen my aunt-in-law?"
"I have," said Jinny contumaciously, "and I like her."
"What do you think? She"s brought a dog on a chain and a beast of a cat in a basket."
Jinny abstained from sympathy, and Tanqueray grew grave.
"I wish I knew what was the matter with Rose," he said. "She doesn"t seem to get much better. The doctor swears it"s only liver; but he"s a silly a.s.s."
"Tanks, there"s nothing the matter really, except--the poor little bird wants to build its nest. It wants sticks and straws and feathers and things----"
"Do you mean I"ve got to go and find a beastly house?"