Luckily for her peace of mind Miss Arden knew nothing of the tumult that raged in her niece’s bosom for six short weeks—Tony went to Scotland then, and by the time he came back the fickle flame had gone out. Miss Arden would have been shocked beyond measure if she had known of Elizabeth’s passion. She was not altogether pleased when Elizabeth, in an expansive moment, confided that she liked men. To be sure, there wasn’t anything exactly wrong in liking men, but it was not at all the thing that Miss Arden would have said when she was a girl. On the contrary, she had always affirmed and would still affirm if directly questioned that she disliked men. It was a poor compliment to her father and brother, and it was naturally untrue, but she did not know that. She would have found it hard to believe that men did not like her, and if anyone had had the courage to suggest it she would have been indignant at the impertinence of the male.

She knew nothing about men, but she was fond of generalising. Elizabeth learned that woman was superior to man always. Men had to be snubbed and kept in their places; they lived strange lives, and were a nuisance about the house. Even Father caused a deal of trouble, dropping cigar ash on the carpet, and never standing the cork-mat in the bathroom up on end.

Aunt Anne was very excitable on the subject of women’s rights. She wanted to be in Parliament and to sit on juries, and even Mr. Hengist could not argue with her because she became so angry and so illogical, and said that she had not patience with him or with anyone else. And when Elizabeth, wrinkling her pretty brow, said that she thought women would be rather silly on juries, Aunt Anne told her that she was only a child and didn’t know what she was talking about. So the Rights of Women were not spoken of at home; it was safer that way.

Elizabeth became a flapper and tied her hair back in a large bow at the back of her neck. Lawrence began to notice her and said, By Jove, what a beautiful girl she was going to be! He called her his pretty little daughter, and Elizabeth went at once to study herself in the mirror. She had always thought that she was nice-looking, but until Lawrence called her pretty she had not realised to the full the beauty of her great brown eyes with their long lashes like shadows about them, or the fascination of her short upper lip and little straight nose. She fingered the masses of her dusky hair, and discovered breathlessly that her shoulders sloped slightly and were milk-white.

Lawrence began to talk of her coming out as soon as the War was over, but Miss Arden begged him not to think of that yet.