In less than half an hour these four took their departure.
'So Dick came a cropper!' was Alice's first remark, when alone with
her sister-in-law.
Adela tried in vain to understand.
'At the election, you know. I don't see what he wanted to go making
himself so ridiculous. Is he much cut up?'
'I don't think it troubles him much,' Adela said; 'he really had no
expectation of being elected. It was just to draw attention to
Socialism.'
'Of course he'll put it in that way. But I'd no idea you were in
London. Where are you living?'
Alice had suffered, had suffered distinctly, in her manners, and
probably in her character. It was not only that she affected a
fastness of tone, and betrayed an ill-bred pleasure in receiving
Adela in her fine drawing-room; her face no longer expressed the
idle good-nature which used to make it pleasant to contemplate, it
was thinner, less wholesome in colour, rather acid about the lips.
Her manner was hurried, she seemed to be living in a whirl of
frivolous excitements. Her taste in dress had deteriorated; she wore
a lot of jewellery of a common kind, and her headgear was fantastic.
'We have a few friends to-morrow night,' she said when the
conversation had with difficulty dragged itself over ten minutes.
'Will you come to dinner? I'm sure Willis will be very glad to see
you.
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