"Oh, you American professional men, particularly you corporation
lawyers"--she was smiling now. "You might as well be living in the
middle ages, for you take no note of the tremendous revolution that is
going on all around you. What we call politics is in reality government,
and home is the basis of all good government, and government to serve
its legitimate aim in a democracy must reflect the sentiments of all
the members of the society that created it, women as well as men, and
the higher the aspirations of society the higher the purposes of
government."
The others were enjoying this little scene. "Bravo, bravo, Silvia!"
exclaimed Hilda. "Do make a convert of him!"
"You know," said Miss Holland, and she put as much sarcasm in her tone
as possible without leaving a sting, "that this thing called government
only needs a good house-cleaning and the application of a few vermin
extinguishers, such as every good housekeeper knows how to administer,
to make this country a congenial habitation for the gods of the
Twentieth Century--the enlightened, progressive, responsible citizens of
a democracy. Come to the Industrial League meeting next Thursday night
and you will learn more about this than I can possibly tell you. I will
send you a card," and she gaily floated away with Dr. Orrin Morris, her
escort of the evening, who had been impatiently waiting for her for
several minutes.
Dr. Orrin Morris and Dr. John Earl were graduated from the same class in
the Harvard medical school, but Dr. Morris had immediately after
graduation settled down to the exclusive practice of surgery according
to orthodox methods, and was already regarded as one of the rising young
surgeons of New York City.
His father had met with financial reverses in 1907 that had not only
wrecked the family fortune but had carried him to an untimely grave. His
mother had been dead for some years and he had no brother or sister. He
maintained a house on East 57th Street and had much practice in two of
the prominent hospitals.
Dr. Morris presented a rather angular appearance as he strode away with
Miss Holland. He was excessively lean, of swarthy complexion, dark eyes,
black hair and a domineering air. His mother had possessed a strain of
that Spanish blood that was freely mixed with the Moors during their
occupancy of Spain, and added to the natural tendencies of the Latin
were visible some of the ear-marks of Moorish intensity. For some months
he had been paying marked attention to Miss Holland, whom he had known
in a general way for a long time, and, while she did not encourage him,
she had not thought it necessary to dismiss him, for she found him most
entertaining, as he was regarded as one of the best non-professional
violinists in New York. They had spent many agreeable evenings together
over their music, she playing the accompaniments on the piano.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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