'I hope you'll excuse this intrusion,' said the suffragist, 'but I got your name from the directory and I have come to . . . to ascertain your views about the all-important question of the vote.' There was a queer stiltedness about the little speech. Miss Welkin was addressing the meeting. 'Oh? I'm very much interested,' said Victoria. 'Of course I don't know anything about it except what I read in the papers.' The grey eyes glittered. Evangelic fervour radiated from them. 'That's what we want,' said the suffragist. 'It's just the people who are ready to be our friends who haven't heard our side and who get biassed. Mrs Ferris, I'm sure you'll come in with us and join the Marylebone branch?' 'But how can I?' asked Victoria. 'You see I know nothing about it all.' 'Let me give you these pamphlets,' said the suffragist. Victoria obediently took a leaflet on the marriage law, a pamphlet on 'The Rights of Women,' a few more papers too, some of which slipped to the floor. 'Thank you,' she said, 'but first of all tell me, why do you want the vote?' The suffragist looked at her for a second. This might be a keen recruit when she was converted. Then a flood of words burst from her. 'Oh, how can any woman ask, when she sees the misery, the subjection in which we live. We say that we want the vote because it is the only means we have to attain economic freedom . . . we say to man: "Put your weapon in our hands and we will show you what we can do." We want to have a voice in the affairs of the country. We want to say how the taxes we pay shall be spent, how our children shall be educated, whether our sons shall go to war. We say it's wrong that we should be disfranchised because we are women . . . it is illogical . . . we must have it.' The suffragist stopped for a second to regain breath. 'I see,' said Victoria, 'but how is the vote going to help?' 'Help,' echoed Miss Welkin. 'It will help because it will enable women to have a voice in national affairs.' 'You must think me awfully stupid,' said Victoria sweetly, 'but what use will it be to us if we do get a voice in national affairs?' Miss Welkin ignored the interruption. 'It is wrong that we should not have a vote if we are reasonable beings; we can be teachers, doctors, chemists, factory inspectors, business managers, writers; we can sit on local authorities, and we can't cast a vote for a member of Parliament. It's preposterous, it's . . .' 'Yes, I understand, but what will the vote do for us? Will it raise wages?' 'It must raise wages. Men's wages have risen a lot since they got the vote.' 'Do you think that's because they got the vote?' 'Yes. Well, partly. At any rate there are things above wages,' said the suffragist excitedly. 'And you know, we know that the vote is wanted especially because it is an education; by inducing women to take an interest in politics we will broaden their minds, teach them to combine and then automatically their wages will rise.'