“Whenever God withdraws from me my small share of common sense,” said Ingram, slowly, “so far that I shall begin to think of having my clothes made for the purpose of walking in Hyde Park, well--” “But don’t you see,” said Lavender, “that one must meet one’s friends, especially when one is married; and when you know that at a certain hour in the forenoon they are all to be found in a particular place, and that a very pleasant place, and that you will do yourself good by having a walk in the fresh air, and so forth, I really don’t see anything very immoral in going down for an hour or so to the Park.” “Don’t you think the pleasure of seeing one’s friends might be postponed till one had done some sort of good day’s work?” “There now!” cried Lavender, “that is another of your delusions. You are always against superstitions, and yet you make work a fetish. You do with work just as women do with duty; they carry about with them a convenient little God, and they are always worshiping it with small sacrifices, and complimenting themselves on a series of little martyrdoms that are of no good to anybody. Of course, duty wouldn’t be duty if it wasn’t disagreeable, and when they go nursing the sick--and they could get it better done for fifteen shillings a week by somebody else--they don’t mind coming back to their families with the seeds of typhus about their gowns; and when they crush the affections in order to worship at the shrine of duty, they don’t consider that they may be making martyrs of other folks, who don’t want martyrdom and get no sort of pleasure out of it. Now, what in all the world is the good of work as work? I believe that work is an unmistakable evil, but when it is a necessity I suppose you get some sort of selfish satisfaction in overcoming it; and doubtless if there was any immediate necessity in my case--I don’t deny the necessity may arise, and that I should like nothing better than to work for Sheila’s sake--” “Now, you are coming to the point,” said Ingram, who had been listening with his usual patience to his friend’s somewhat chaotic speculations. “Perhaps you may have to work for your wife’s sake and your own; and I confess I am surprised to see you so content with your present circumstances. If your aunt’s property legally reverted to you, if you had any sort of family claim on it, that would make some little difference; but you know that any sudden quarrel between you might leave you penniless to-morrow.” “In which case I should begin to work to-morrow, and I should come to you for my first commission.” “And you shouldn’t have it. I would leave you to go and fight the world for yourself; without which a man knows nothing of himself or of his relations with those around him.” “Frank, dear, here are the cigarettes,” said Sheila, at this point; and as she came and sat down the discussion ceased.