When he left her the other day he had been conscious, only more vividly and intensely, more possessively as it were, than she, of the same general impression that had been left upon her.  A new opening for pleasure—­their meeting presented itself to him, too, in the same way.  What had he been about all this time? Forget?—­such a creature?  Why, it was the merest wantonness!  As if such women—­with such a brow, such vitality, such a gait—­passed in every street!

What possessed him now was an imperious eagerness to push the matter, to recover the old intimacy—­and as to what might come out of it, let the gods decide!  He could have had but a very raw appreciation of her at Mellor.  It seemed to him that she had never forced him to think of her then in absence, as he had thought of her since the last meeting.

As for the nursing business, and the settlement in Brown’s Buildings, it was, of course, mere play-acting.  No doubt when she emerged she would be all the more of a personage for having done it.  But she must emerge soon.  To rule and shine was as much her metier as it was the metier of a bricklayer’s labourer to carry hods.  By George! what would not Lady Selina give for beauty of such degree and kind as that!  They must be brought together.  He already foresaw that the man who should launch Marcella Boyce in London would play a stroke for himself as well as for her.  And she must be launched in London.  Let other people nurse, and pitch their tents in little workmen’s flats, and live democracy instead of preaching it.  Her fate was fixed for her by her physique. Il ne faut pas sortir de son caractere.

The sight of Bennett approaching distracted him.

Bennett’s good face showed obvious vexation.

“He sticks to it,” he said, as Wharton jumped up to meet him.  “Talks of his conscience—­and a lot of windy stuff.  He seems to have arranged it with the Whips.  I dare say he won’t do much harm.”

“Except to himself,” said Wharton, with dry bitterness.  “Goodness! let’s leave him alone!”

He and Bennett lingered a few minutes discussing points of tactics.  Wilkins had, of course, once more declared himself the enfant terrible of a party which, though still undefined, was drawing nearer day by day to organised existence and separate leadership.  The effect of to-night’s debate might be of far-reaching importance.  Wharton’s Resolution, pledging the House to a Legal Eight Hours’ Day for all trades, came at the end of a long and varied agitation, was at the moment in clear practical relation to labour movements all over the country, and had in fact gained greatly in significance and interest since it was first heard of in public, owing to events of current history.  Workable proposals—­a moderate tone—­and the appearance, at any rate, of harmony and a united front among the representatives of labour—­if so much at least could be attained to-night, both Wharton and Bennett believed that not only the cause itself, but the importance of the Labour party in the House would be found to have gained enormously.