"To-night? I'm afraid I am," I replied, though solely for Miss Levey's benefit. "To-morrow I'm not."
"To-morrow won't do. You're a dashed difficult man to get, Jeffries!"
"You should have given me a little notice," I said, though foreseeing already that Pepper would eat Miss Levey's supper that night.
"Well, we'll talk about it presently; if you can possibly put your engagement off, do.... Now, Miss Levey----"
He began to give instructions to Miss Levey.
Later in the morning Miss Levey sought me.
"Oh, Mr Jeffries," she began, very _empressée_, "I think we won't come to-night. Mr Pepper----"
"It is rather awkward," I admitted. "I'm awfully sorry----"
"Please don't apologise. It really doesn't matter. I can come up any evening, you know."
"We'll fix another evening. I know you and Mr Pepper have private affairs."
"Yes," I thought, not very graciously, "and to be in at 'em's the only thing you want more than to pry into my domestic ones." But aloud I said, "It's awfully good of you--do tell Mr Aschael how sorry I am."
So it was Judy Pepper, and not Miriam Levey and Aschael, who dined at Verandah Cottage that night.
Were it for no other reason than to let you know a little of these Schmerveloff neighbours of mine I should have to tell you of Judy's visit that evening. This sounds a little portentous, as if my tale were about to take a sensational turn, with bombs and secret agents in it. Be calm, it is not; I only mention these Schmerveloffs as standing, in a way, for certain forces of which Pepper and I intended to make use. A very few words will explain what I mean.
We are not social theorists, Pepper and I; we have to handle social problems practically, as they come; and so in the wider humanitarian sense we may be all wrong. But even then this Schmerveloff school of thought had its importance for us. It was very useful to us, for instance, when the Aliens' Act was drafting; and with the outbreak of Syndicalism, with all the bearings that has had on Trades Disputes, it became very important indeed. Perhaps, after all, the only hint I need give you as to the way in which we handled it is this: that, the rate of progress of this International Socialism being necessarily that of the slowest-moving and most backward partner in the alliance--Russia--we have used that fact either as a drag on Syndicalism or as an apparent encouragement of it, as the needs of the moment dictated. And when I say "apparent encouragement," I mean that we have winked at all this translation from the Russian pessimists that has harnessed art to purposes of social propaganda. That, since racial development is of far greater lasting weight than economic theory, has seemed to us the readiest way of letting folk see that Russia's problems are not necessarily ours; and if we can only keep Syndicalism in check, they may Russianise our literature completely for all Pepper and I care.