What an infernal racket these people were making about the world. I went on thinking about my work.
"You two," said Sue, when at last her friends had gone away, "have built up a wall of contentment around you a person couldn't break through with an axe."
"No, thanks," said Sue. "I promised Dad that I'd be home."
And then instead of going home she sprawled lazily on the sofa with her head upon one elbow, and settled in for some more talk. But her talk was different to-night. She usually talked about herself, but to-night she talked of us instead, of our contemptible content. And presently through her talk I felt that she had some surprise to spring. In a few moments Eleanore felt it too, I could tell that by the vigilant way she kept glancing up from her knitting.
"I think," I was remarking, "we're a pretty liberal-minded pair."
"That's it," said Sue. "You're liberals!" What utter disdain she threw into the word. "And what's more you're citizens. In all these movements," she went on, "you always find two classes--citizens and criminals. You two are both born citizens."
"Citizens," said Sue impressively, "are ready to _vote_ for what they believe in. Criminals are ready to get arrested and go to jail."
"Who gave you that?" she asked. Sue looked a little taken back, but only for a moment.
"One of the criminals," she said. Her voice was carefully casual now but her eyes were a little excited. "He's a man who made up his mind that he wanted to get way down to the bottom, and see how it feels to be down there. So he took the very worst job he could find. For two years he was a stoker--on ships of all kinds all over the world. And now that he knows just how it feels, he has an office down on the docks where he's getting the stokers and dockers together--getting them ready for a strike--on your beloved harbor."
"Joe Kramer," said Eleanore quietly. Sue gave a sudden, nervous start.
"Eleanore," she severely rejoined, "sometimes you're simply uncanny--the way you quietly jump at a thing!"
Eleanore had gone on with her knitting. I rose and lit a cigarette. I could feel Sue's eyes upon me. So _this_ was her infernal surprise! J. K. banging into my life again!
"He doesn't want to look anyone up, I've only seen him once myself. He has simply buried himself down there. Why don't you go and see him, Billy?" she added, with a quick glance at Eleanore. "He won't amuse you the way we do. He's one of the real criminals now."