"Well, but they don't count. I wasn't in love with Lawson. It was his
career. If he hadn't been a Cabinet Minister; if he hadn't been so
desperately gone on me; if he hadn't said it all depended on me--"
"Yes," I said. "I can see how it would go to your head."
"It didn't. It went to my heart." She was quite serious and solemn. "I
held him in my hands, Roly. And he held England. I couldn't let him
drop, could I? I had to think of England."
It was wonderful--Lena Wrace thinking that she thought of England.
I said "Of course. But for your political foresight and your virtuous
action we should never have had Tariff Reform."
"We should never have had anything," she said. "And look at him now.
Look how he's crumpled up since he left me. It's pitiful."
"It is. I'm afraid Mrs. Withers doesn't care about Tariff Reform."
"Poor thing. No. Don't imagine I'm jealous of her, Roly. She hasn't got
him. I mean she hasn't got what I had."
"All the same he left you. And you weren't ecstatically happy with him
the last year or two."
"I daresay I'd have done better to have married you, if that's what you
mean."
It wasn't what I meant. But she'd always entertained the illusion that
she could marry me any minute if she wanted to; and I hadn't the heart
to take it from her since it seemed to console her for the way, the
really very infamous way, he had left her.