Confessions of a Well-Meaning Woman
course he was quoting Culroyd, who is still young enough to imagine that whatever he does must be right and that every one must do as he does. Ever since Will was appointed to the staff . . . I should have thought it stood to reason; you keep the brains of the army to direct the war, and the other people. . . I won’t put it even as strongly as that, but there must be a division of labour. My Lord Culroyd seems to think that any one who has not run away from school and enlisted. . . Sometimes I have been hard put to it to keep the peace when they have been on leave at the same time. But I could not allow Brackenbury to make himself a ruler and a judge. . .
“Is it not enough,” I said, “That you have refused the last request I may ever make? Is it necessary to add slander to ungraciousness?”
“Oh, keep cool, Ann, keep cool,” said Brackenbury with his usual elegance. “From all accounts you ain’t going to die yet awhile; and, if you do. Master Will won’t be any worse off in pocket. He can earn his living as well as another. I’ll promise you this, though; if he gets smashed up in the war, I’ll see that he don’t starve, but that’s the limit of my responsibility. Now, does that set your mind at rest?”
I refused to continue the discussion and sank back on my pillows.
15
