ecause they don't trust you," Lord Henry replied. "That must be the
reason. They have learned not to trust the mature adult. British parents
are either too indolent, or too incompetent to do the thing properly.
And the consequence is young people have been trained by tradition to
believe that, in the matter of choosing their mates, concerning which
they know literally nothing, and are taught less, they must be left to
their own silly romantic devices."

"But look at the results!" said Miss Mallowcoid. "Surely the arrangement
works."

"Does it? That's precisely what I question," Lord Henry cried.

"You don't mean to say, do you," Denis Malster enquired, "that you would
accept a wife chosen for you by your parents?"

"If they were equipped with the necessary knowledge and insight, most
certainly," Lord Henry retorted.

"So it comes to this," said Mrs. Tribe, "that our matrimonial system in
this country is based upon our parents' lack of the necessary knowledge
and insight."

"Precisely!" Lord Henry exclaimed. "Otherwise they would shoulder the
responsibility cheerfully."

"Nonsense!" snapped Miss Mallowcoid.

"I agree with you," added Denis, turning a smiling face to the old
spinster.

"Why, it's our idea of liberty,--that's what it is!" Miss Mallowcoid
averred.

"Yes; the liberty to do and think the wrong thing nine times out of
ten," was Lord Henry's comment.

Denis Malster rose and went to the window. "Well, I should like the
weather to clear," he said, "so that we could set about doing something
a little more interesting than this."

Miss Mallowcoid and Sir Joseph laughed. The open hostility that was
growing between Lord Henry and the baronet's secretary enabled them to
get many a thrust at the former without so much as grazing their
knuckles.

Lord Henry chuckled. "It is curious," he said quietly, "how doing
something, nowadays, is always assumed to be more interesting than
thinking something."

"But you used to be so fond of arguing, Mr. Malster," Mrs. Tribe
suggested with a malicious smile.

Denis grew hot about the ears, and the Incandescent Gerald, who had a
forgiving heart, frowned reprovingly at his wife.

"Yes, but one gets frightfully sick of hearing one's country and its
institutions constantly run down," said Denis, casting a malevolent
glance at Lord Henry. "My country, right or wrong, is what I say."

"Hear, hear!" cried Miss Mallowcoid. "That's very true."

"Yes, and very immoral