And then we talked of popular superstitions about comets,
and dreams, and ghosts-- particularly ghosts, and I told a number of
creepy stories, and one old gentleman pretended he didn't believe in
them, but he did, and so did the other without any pretence; and we
talked about Darwinism, and the nature of the soul, and Nihilism, and
the state of society--and--and a few other things. And they were such
dear delightful old gentlemen, and they knew such a lot, and were so
clever; and one of them was a Railway Director, and the other couldn't
let his farms, and was bothered about his pheasants, and wanted to
have the trains altered to suit him. I should so like to meet them
both again."
"And how long did all this take, Ideala?"
"Oh, some hours. I fancy their dreams would be rather confused last
night," she added, naively.
"Poor old gentlemen!" said I.
This sociability and inclination to talk the matter out, and, I may
say, a certain amount of innocence and lack of worldly wisdom into the
bargain, betrayed her occasionally into small improprieties of conduct
that were not to be excused, and would possibly not have been forgiven
in any one but Ideala.
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