nt.

He found a strange pleasure in emphasising his opposition to her.
Perhaps he secretly knew that Adela hung upon his words, and in spite
of herself was drawn into the current of his enthusiasm. But he did not
look into her face. Had he done so he would have seen it fixed and pale.

'Then you think grass and trees of more importance than human lives?'

She spoke in a voice which sounded coldly ironical in its attempt to be
merely calm.

'I had rather say that I see no value in human lives in a world from
which grass and trees have vanished. But, in truth, I care little to
make my position logically sound. The ruling motive in my life is the
love of beautiful things; I fight against ugliness because it's the
only work in which I can engage with all my heart. I have nothing of the
enthusiasm of humanity. In the course of centuries the world may perhaps
put itself right again; I am only concerned with the present, and I
see that everywhere the tendency is towards the rule of mean interests,
ignoble ideals.'

'Do you call it ignoble,' broke in Adela, 'to aim at raising men from
hopeless and degrading toil to a life worthy of human beings?'

'The end which _you_ have in mind cannot be ignoble. But it is not to
be reached by means such as these.' He pointed down to the valley. 'That
may be the only way of raising the standard of comfort among people who
work with their hands; I take the standpoint of the wholly unpractical
man, and say that such efforts do not concern me. From my point of view
no movement can be tolerated which begins with devastating the earth's
surface. You will clothe your workpeople better, you will give them
better food and more leisure; in doing so you injure the class that
has finer sensibilities, and give power to the class which not only
postpones everything to material well-being, but more and more
regards intellectual refinement as an obstacle in the way of progress.
Progress--the word is sufficient; you have only to think what it has
come to mean. It will be good to have an example of reaction.'

'When reaction means misery to men and women and little children?'

'Yes, even if it meant that. As far as I am concerned, I trust it
will have no such results. You must distinguish between humanity and
humanitarianism. I hope I am not lacking in the former; the latter seems
to me to threaten everything that is most precious in the world.'

'Then you are content that the majority of mankind sh