988
PARTISAN REVIEW
The two women picked on
in
silence for some minutes. To
Elspeth, it seemed, that her own contribution was immensely the
smaller; it seemed impossible that with those absurd, flowing sleeves
and the smoke from that perpetual cigarette Mrs. Searle could pick
with such ease. Her own fingers were constantly being pricked by the
thorns and the legs of her trousers got caught against the bushes.
"Poor Miss Eccles!" said Miranda. "You must stop at once or
you'll ruin those lovely trousers.
It
was quite naughty of me to have
suggested your doing such a horrid job in such beautiful clothes."
Elspeth was crouching to pick some refractory fruit from a very low
bush, but she stood up and remained quite still for a moment, then in .
a clear, deliberate voice, she said:
"Now, you don't think they're beautiful clothes at all, Mrs.
Searle. You probably think trousers on women are the height of
ugliness, and in any case they cannot compare for elegance with
your lovely dress. It's just that I'm clumsy and awkward in my move–
ments, and you are graceful and easy. What makes you unable to
say what you think of me?"
Mrs. Searle did not answer the question, instead she stared at
the girl with rounded eyes, then throwing her cigarette on the ground
she stamped it into the earth with her heel.
"Oh Miss Eccles" she cried "how lovely you look! Now I under–
stand why Henry admires you so. You look so handsome, so noble
when you are being stern, just like Mary Wollstonecraft or Dorothy
Wordsworth or one of those other great women who inspire poets and
philosophers."
"How can you say that, Mr. Searle?" cried Elspeth. "You who
knew and inspired so many of our writers."
"Oh no!" said Miranda. "I never inspired anyone, I just kept
them amused. I was far too busy enjoying life to
inspire
anyone."
"Then why can't you go on enjoying life now?" "Oh! Miss
Eccles, how charming of you! I do believe you're paying me a com–
pliment, you're being sincere with me and treating me as one of your
generation. But you forget that 'you cannot teach an old dog new
tricks.' And now look what you've done, you've made me use an ugly,
vulgar proverb." "I don't think it's a question of generations" said
Elspeth "it's just a matter of preferring to have things straight instead
of crooked. Anyway if people of my age are more straightforward it's
