; at their ignoring of it Warren Venables smiled a
little. They were wholly innocent of the half-humorous, half-boastful
posturing of the conscious rake; these things, assumed as the basis of
their stories rather than narrated, were to them entirely natural--a
matter of course. From the same outer darkness--Venables came to believe
it was that--Tommy had discoursed of _Marchese Peppino_. It was not that
they considered themselves reputable people, but simply that
reputability (and the word includes in this case common honesty) was a
thing wholly ignored by them, outside their sphere of knowledge.
Certainly, such ignoring obviated embarrassment. Meanwhile, to entertain
a tableful of strangers at lunch is an admirable gift. Mrs. Venables,
possibly, did not sufficiently appreciate it; being amused came very
much lower down on her scale of pleasures than being interested; it was
perhaps fortunate, therefore, that it was a pleasure much rarer of
attainment. She did not desire it of the Crevequers; she desired, as she
phrased it, to draw them out, to achieve a near and serious intimacy.

When every one had finished eating too much (the Crevequers wondered to
each other afterwards why it had come to an end just at that point, no
sooner and no later; they themselves, once wound up to eat continuously,
could have carried it on indefinitely), Mrs. Venables found a divan for
herself and Betty in a secluded corner of the large hall, and continued
the process of eduction. She had formed a plan; she wished of all things
to come into contact with the real life of the people; she wanted Tommy
and Betty to help her.

'You must be so delightfully intimate with them. With me they may be
suspicious and reserved at first. And I am not at all completely
mistress of the language. But I can at all events give them a very
genuine sympathy and interest; and it would please me to try the
experiment. I know something of our girls in London who work at the
great factories. If we could form a sort of club here--social evenings,
and so on--your help would be of immense value to me. You have achieved
a real intimacy--you and your brother. To share the same faith must be a
tremendous bond; there is no more tenacious or more beautiful tie, as
Tolstoy says.... You remember the passage, perhaps?'

Betty shook her head.

'We don't read much, Tommy and I don't. There seems always something
else to be done, out in the streets or somewhere.'

'The true p