"
"But you are not in a position to nominate the questions
that I am to put to myself," she said. The effort to
import decision into her tone and manner was apparent.
"That is what I desire you to understand. We must not talk
any more about me. I am not the topic of conversation."
"But first let me finish what I wanted to say," he insisted.
"My talk won't break any bones. You'd be wrong not
to listen to it--because it's meant to help you--to
be of use to you. This is the thing, Lady Cressage:
You're in a particularly hard and unpleasant position.
Like my friend Plowden"--he watched her face narrowly
but in vain, in the dull light, for any change at mention
of the name--"like my friend Plowden you have a position
and title to keep up, and next to nothing to keep it
up on. But he can go down into the City and make
money--or try to. He can accept Directorships and tips
about the market and so on, from men who are disposed
to be good to him, and who see how he can be of use to
them--and in that way he can do something for himself.
But there is the difference: you can't do these things,
or you think you can't, which is the same thing.
You're all fenced in; you're surrounded by notice-boards,
telling you that you mustn't walk this way or look that way;
that you mustn't say this thing or do the other.
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