" That is simply nonsense. There was a time^ —
but he soon saw the hopelessness. He is my friend
now ; not that I am particularly fond of him — the
grain is rather coarse : but he is a good creature, far
more honest than he imagines, simple, after a clumsy
fashion. He aims at distinguished diplomatic com-
plexity, I may tell you, and, I fancy, comes to me for
the necessary polishing. Read his letter."

Perior had looked at her, still smiling, but more
absently, while she spoke.
" Oh ! Rodrigg is more cautious," he said glanc;
ing through the great man's neatly constructed
phrases. "You are not with the Philistines; he
feels that."

** Politically no ; but I have a good deal of influ-

30



THE CONFOUNDING OF CAMELIA

ence with him. You see those reviews he mentions ;
I went through a lot of heavy French and Italian
reading for him — sociology, industrialism — and saw
the result in his last speech/*

" Really/*

" Ah, really. Don't be sarcastic, Alceste, to me.
One of those men will probably be Prime Minister
some day. You can't deny that they are eminent



men.*'



" And therefore you are an eminent woman. Well,
the logic is n*t too lame. I *11 conclude, Camelia,
that you may do quite a lot of harm in the world.**

" You don*t believe that a woman's influence in
politics can be for good ? **

" Not the influence of a woman like you — a —
a femme bibelot^

" Good ! ** cried Camelia, gently clapping her
hands.
