“There is but one interpretation of which it
is susceptible,” Cyril interrupted. “The
apostle gives that interpretation when he prefaces
the text with the words, ’For yourselves know
how you ought to follow us; for we behaved not ourselves
disorderly among you. Neither did we eat any
man’s bread for nought; but wrought with travail
night and day, that we might not be chargeable to
any of you: not because we have not power, but
to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.’
The whole economy of Altruria is founded on these
passages.”
“Literally?”
“Literally.”
“But, my dear sir,” the young lord reasoned,
“you surely do not wrench the text from some
such meaning as that if a man has money, he may pay
his way without working?”
“No, certainly not. But here you have no
money, and as we cannot suffer any to ‘walk
among us disorderly, working not at all,’ we
must not exempt you from our rule.”
At this point there came a sound from within the marquee
as of skirts sweeping forward sharply, imperiously,
followed by a softer frou-frou, and Mrs. Thrall
put aside the curtain of the tent with one hand, and
stood challenging our little Altrurian group, while
Lady Moors peered timidly at us from over her mother’s
shoulder. I felt a lust of battle rising in me
at sight of that woman, and it was as much as I could
do to control myself; but in view of the bad time
I knew she was going to have, I managed to hold in,
though I joined very scantly in the polite greetings
of the Chrysostoms and Aristides, which she ignored
as if they had been the salutations of savages.
She glared at her husband for explanation, and he
said, gently, “This is a delegation from the
Altrurian capital, my dear, and we have been talking
over the situation together.”
“But what is this,” she demanded, “that
I have heard about our not paying? Do they accuse
us of not paying? You could buy and sell the whole
country.”
I never imagined so much mildness could be put into
such offensive words as Cyril managed to get into
his answer. “We accuse you of not paying,
and we do not mean that you shall become chargeable
to us. The men and women who served you on shipboard
have been put to work, and you must go to work, too.”
“Mr. Thrall—Lord Moors—have
you allowed these people to treat you as if you were
part of the ship’s crew? Why don’t
you give them what they want and let them go?
Of course it’s some sort of blackmailing scheme.
But you ought to get rid of them at any cost.
Then you can appeal to the authorities, and tell them
that you will bring the matter to the notice of the
government at Washington. They must be taught
that they cannot insult American citizens with impunity.”
No one spoke, and she added, “What do they really
want?”
“Well, my dear,” her husband hesitated,
“I hardly know how to explain. But it seems
that they think our living here in the way we do is
orderly, and—and they want us to go to work,
in short.”
