England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Social aspects -- England -- Fiction
It was some time before Tietjens could get to think of his own problems.
The fly that took them back went with the slow pomp of a procession over
the winding marsh road in front of the absurdly picturesque red pyramid
of the very old town. Tietjens had to listen to the General suggesting
that it would be better if he didn't come to the golf-club till Monday.
He would get Macmaster some good games. A good, sound fellow that
Macmaster now. It was a pity Tietjens hadn't some of his soundness!
The two city men had approached the General on the course and had used
some violent invectives against Tietjens: they had objected to being
called ruddy swine to their faces: they were going to the police. The
General said that he had told them himself, slowly and distinctly, that
they _were_ ruddy swine and that they would never get another ticket at
that club after Monday. But till Monday, apparently, they had the right
to be there and the club wouldn't want scenes. Sandbach, too, was
infuriated about Tietjens.
Tietjens said that the fault lay with the times that permitted the
introduction into gentlemen's company of such social swipes as Sandbach.
One acted perfectly correctly and then a dirty little beggar like that
put dirty little constructions on it and ran about and bleated. He added
that he knew Sandbach was the General's brother-in-law, but he couldn't
help it. That was the truth. . . . The General said: "I know, my boy: I
know. . . ." But one had to take society as one found it. Claudine had
to be provided for and Sandbach made a very good husband, careful,
sober, and on the right side in politics. A bit of a rip; but they
couldn't ask for everything! And Claudine was using all the influence
she had with the other side--which was not a little, women were so
wonderful!--to get him a diplomatic job in Turkey, so as to get him out
of the way of Mrs. Crundall! Mrs. Crundall was the leading
Anti-Suffragette of the little town. That was what made Sandbach so
bitter against Tietjens. He told Tietjens so that Tietjens might
understand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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