第33章 THE SIXTH(4)

Sir Richmond had never met with a young woman with a genuine historical imagination before, and he was evidently very greatly excited and resolved to get the utmost that there was to be got out of this encounter.

Section 3

Sir Richmond displayed a complete disregard of the sufferings of Dr.Martineau, shamefully compressed behind him.Of these he was to hear later.He ran his overcrowded little car, overcrowded so far as the dicky went, over the crest of the Down and down into Amesbury and on to Salisbury, stopping to alight and stretch the legs of the party when they came in sight of Old Sarum.

"Certainly they can do with a little stretching," said Dr.

Martineau grimly.

This charming young woman had seized upon the imagination of Sir Richmond to the temporary exclusion of all other considerations.The long Downland gradients, quivering very slightly with the vibration of the road, came swiftly and easily to meet and pass the throbbing little car as he sat beside her and talked to her.He fell into that expository manner which comes so easily to the native entertaining the visitor from abroad.

"In England, it seems to me there are four main phases of history.Four.Avebury, which I would love to take you to see to-morrow.Stonehenge.Old Sarum, which we shall see in a moment as a great grassy mound on our right as we come over one of these crests.Each of them represents about a thousand years.Old Sarum was Keltic; it, saw the Romans and the Saxons through, and for a time it was a Norman city.Now it is pasture for sheep.Latest as yet is Salisbury,--English, real English.It may last a few centuries still.It is little more than seven hundred years old.But when I think of those great hangars back there by Stonehenge, I feel that the next phase is already beginning.Of a world one will fly to the ends of, in a week or so.Our world still.Our people, your people and mine, who are going to take wing so soon now, were made in all these places.We are visiting the old homes.I am glad I came back to it just when you were doing the same thing.""I'm lucky to have found a sympathetic fellow traveller,"she said; "with a car."

"You're the first American I've ever met whose interest in history didn't seem--" He sought for an inoffensive word.

"Silly? Oh! I admit it.It's true of a lot of us.Most of us.

We come over to Europe as if it hadn't anything to do with us except to supply us with old pictures and curios generally.

We come sight-seeing.It's romantic.It's picturesque.We stare at the natives--like visitors at a Zoo.We don't realize that we belong....I know our style....But we aren't all like that.Some of us are learning a bit better than that.We have one or two teachers over there to lighten our darkness.There's Professor Breasted for instance.He comes sometimes to my father's house.And there's James Harvey Robinson and Professor Hutton Webster.They've been trying to restore our memory.""I've never heard of any of them," said Sir Richmond.

"You hear so little of America over here.It's quite a large country and all sorts of interesting things happen there nowadays.And we are waking up to history.Quite fast.We shan't always be the most ignorant people in the world.We are beginning to realize that quite a lot of things happened between Adam and the Mayflower that we ought to be told about.I allow it's a recent revival.The United States has been like one of those men you read about in the papers who go away from home and turn up in some distant place with their memories gone.They've forgotten what their names were or where they lived or what they did for a living; they've forgotten everything that matters.Often they have to begin again and settle down for a long time before their memories come back.That's how it has been with us.Our memory is just coming back to us.""And what do you find you are?"

"Europeans.Who came away from kings and churches-@-and Corinthian capitals.""You feel all this country belongs to you?""As much as it does to you."

Sir Richmond smiled radiantly at her."But if I say that America belongs to me as much as it does to you?""We are one people," she said.

"We"

"Europe.These parts of Europe anyhow.And ourselves.""You are the most civilized person I've met for weeks and weeks." "Well, you are the first civilized person I've met in Europe for a long time.If I understand you.""There are multitudes of reasonable, civilized people in Europe.""I've heard or seen very little of them.

"They're scattered, I admit."

"And hard to find."

"So ours is a lucky meeting.I've wanted a serious talk to an American for some time.I want to know very badly what you think you are up to with the world,--our world.""I'm equally anxious to know what England thinks she is doing.Her ways recently have been a little difficult to understand.On any hypothesis-that is honourable to her.""H'm," said Sir Richmond.

"I assure you we don't like it.This Irish business.We feel a sort of ownership in England.It's like finding your dearest aunt torturing the cat.""We must talk of that," said Sir Richmond.

"I wish you would."

"It is a cat and a dog--and they have been very naughty animals.And poor Aunt Britannia almost deliberately lost her temper.But I admit she hits about in a very nasty fashion.""And favours the dog."

"She does."

"I want to know all you admit."

"You shall.And incidentally my friend and I may have the pleasure of showing you Salisbury and Avebury.If you are free?""We're travelling together, just we two.We are wandering about the south of England on our way to Falmouth.Where Ijoin a father in a few days' time, and I go on with him to Paris.And if you and your friend are coming to the Old George--""We are," said Sir Richmond.