Paula laughed.

’You think papa would believe me if I told him I reverenced working men, the free and independent electors?’

’There again:  That’s a phrase you must not use; I say it absolutely; you must forget the phrase.  Yes, your father must believe you.’

‘Do you think he believes you?’

Mr. Dalmaine drew himself up.

‘I don’t know what you mean, Paula.’

‘And I don’t know what you mean.  You are ridiculous.’

’Excuse me.  That is the word that applies to you.  However, I have no wish to wrangle.  Let it be understood that you gradually abandon conversation such as this of to-night.  For the sake of appearances you must make no sudden and obvious change.  If you take my advice, you’ll cultivate talk of a light, fashionable kind.  Literature you mustn’t interfere with; I shouldn’t advise you to say much about art, except that of course you may admire the pictures at the Grosvenor Gallery.  You’d better read the Society journals carefully.  In fact, keep to the sphere which is distinctly womanly.’

‘And what about your anxiety to see women take part in politics?’

’There are exceptions to every rule.  And the programme of the platform, be good enough to try and understand, doesn’t always apply to domestic circumstances.  If one happens to have married a very pretty and delightful girl—­’

‘Oh, of course!’

’I repeat, a very pretty and charming girl, with no turn whatever for seriousness, one can’t pretend to offer an instance in one’s own house of the political woman.  Once more understand—­in England politics must be pursued with gravity.  We don’t fly about and chatter and scream like Frenchmen.  No man will succeed with us in politics who has not a reputation for solid earnestness.  Therefore, the more stupid a man, the better chance he has.  I am naturally fond of a joke, but to get a name for that kind of thing would ruin me.  You are clever, Paula, very clever in your way, but you don’t, and you never will, understand politics.  I beg of you not to damage my prospects.  Cultivate a safe habit of speech.  You may talk of the events of the season, of pigeon shooting, of horse racing, of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and so on; it’s what everybody expects in a fashionable lady.  Of course if you had been able to take up politics in earnest—­but, never mind.  I like you very well as you are.  How well you look in that dress!’

‘I rather think you’re right,’ Paula remarked, after a short pause, turning about a bracelet on her wrist.  ’It’ll be better if you go your way and I go mine.’

‘Precisely; though that’s an unkind way of putting it.’

He sat looking at the ground, and a smile of another kind came to his face.

’By-the-by, I’ve something to tell you—­something that’ll amuse you very much, and that you may talk about, just as much as you like.’