is the only thing that keeps me going. I
shall fight for it for another ten years, and by that time certain
physiological changes may have taken place in me, and my feelings
towards Rossiter will have calmed down."

(Here Mrs. Warren proceeded to call out rather disharmoniously in
Flemish to the poultry woman, and asked why the something-or-other
she let the Houdans spoil the seed beds.)

_Mrs. Warren_ resuming: "Well it's clear you're your father's
daughter. 'E'd 'ave gone on--_did_ go on--in just such a way. 'Im
and me were jolly well suited to one another. I'd got to reg'lar
love 'im. I'd 'a bin a true wife to him, and 'ave worked my fingers
to the bone for 'im, and you bet I'd 'ave made a livin' somehow. And
he'd have written some jolly good books and 'ave made lots of money.
But no! This beastly Religion comes in with its scare of Hell fire
and back 'e goes to the priests and 'is prayers and 'is penances.
The last ten years or so 'e's bin filled up with pride. 'Is passions
'ave died down and 'e thinks 'imself an awful swell as the head of
his Order. And they do say as 'e's got 'is fingers in several pies
and is a reg'lar old conspirator, working up the Irish to do
something against England. Yer know since I've made my peace with
you.... _Ain't_ it a rum go, by the bye? Ten or twenty years ago
it'd 'a bin 'my peace with God.' I dunno nothin' about God--can't
see 'im at the end of a telescope, anyways. But I _can_ see you,
Vivie, and there's no one livin' I respect more" (speaks with real
feeling).... "Well, as I was sayin', since I'd set myself right with
you and wound up the business of the hotels I ain't so easy cowed by
'is looks as I used to be. So every now and then it amuses me to run
over in my auto to Louvain and stroll about there and watch 'im as
'e comes out for 'is promenade, pretendin' to be readin' a breviary
or some holy book. I know it riles 'im....

"Well, but for high principles, 'e and I might 'a bin as 'appy as
'appy and 'ad a large family. And there was nothin' to stop 'im
a-marryin' me, if that was all he wanted to feel comfortable about
it. But jus' see. He's had a life that seems to me downright
sterile, and I--well, I ain't been _really_ happy till we made it up
three years ago" (leans over, and kisses Vivie a little
timorously).

"Now there's you, burning yourself out 'cos your high principles
won't let you go for once in a way on the spree with this
Rossiter--s'posin' 'e's game, of