"Superstitious nonsense," snorted Allingham. And he continued to snort at intervals while Mrs. Masters hastily collected cups and plates, and retreated with dignity to the kitchen.
Keeling found no difficulty in deciphering the handwriting. There were three pages, and glancing through them, he moved towards the door."Well, I'm tired saving people's lives, but we won't count this one; you say you want to hear it--I can't give you all of it but it begins:The pearl-pendant gently wagged at Mrs Keelin{181}gs throat: Mrs Fysons comment gently stirred in her head. She would have said this was clever too, this introduction of Miss Properts name without waiting for his wife to mention it. Clever or not, it served its immediate purpose, for she gave him news of Alice.
Director
"You must understand," resumed the Clockwork man, making a rather painful effort to fold his arms and look natural, "you must understandclickclickthat it is difficult for me to carry on conversation in this manner. Not only are my speech centres rather disorderedG-r-r-r-r-r-rbut I am not really accustomed to expressing my thoughts[Pg 143] in this way (here there was a loud spinning noise, like a sewing machine, and rising to a rapid crescendo). My brain issoconstituted that actionexcept in a multiform worldis bound to be somewhat spasmodicPfftPfftPfft. In factPfftit is onlyPfftbecause I am in such a hopehopehopeless condition that I am able to converse with you at all.""Well, my boys," he said, "you must be ready for another journey to-morrow. And it will be much longer and more fatiguing than the one we have just made.""It is the rule in Japan for a man to have only one wife at a time, but he does not always stick to it. If he has children, a man is generally contented; but if he has none, he gets another wife, and either divorces the first one or not, as he chooses. Divorce is very easy for a man to obtain, but not so for the woman; and when she is divorced, she has hardly any means of obtaining justice. But, in justice to the Japanese, it should be said that the men do not often abuse their opportunities for divorce, and that the married life of the people is about as good as that of most countries. Among the reasons for divorce, in addition to what I have mentioned, there are the usual ones that prevail in America. Furthermore, divorce is allowed if a wife is disobedient to her husband's parents, and[Pg 262] also if she talks too much. The last reason is the one most frequently given; but a woman cannot complain of her husband and become divorced from him for the same cause. I wonder if Japan is the only country in the world where women have ever been accused of talking too much.And then there was the Clockwork mansomething else to think about, to be wondered at.