She had risen. Her hand was on his shoulder and her eyes burned over him. He felt a bit fearful and impatient. To a point, her talk was interesting. But after that it became like raving.
"You've told me that before," he murmured. "Please calm down." An ecstatic light slowly left her.
"Oh yes. Sense," she whispered. "Well, the sense of it is for you to become a symbol of their holiness. Be a leader. Isn't that it. But the private bank crusade has fizzled. I've read the papers closely and outside of the two attacks on the private bankers last week, there've been no great gestures of righteousness. If they'd hamstrung a few hundred private bankers, cut off their heads and burned down their houses, I'd advise you to stick. That's sense isn't it?"
Basine, listening to the uncomfortable distortions of his sister, made up his mind. He translated her vicious suggestions into the less inconveniencing idea.... "The biggest part of the work in the fight against the banks has been done already, Doris. And the rest anybody can do."
"Yes," she smiled, "if you're going to be of service to the public you must be careful to devote yourself to worthwhile reforms. You always had a clearer way of putting things, George."
She despised him. He could feel it now. He looked at her and wondered again. She was beautiful. A complete change had come over her since he'd come in. She seemed warm with emotion, alive, human. But she smiled in an offensive way. He preferred her viciousness. That was impersonal--something queer in her head. This other was a condescension that angered him. He sat thinking; she was playing with him. It would be better if he never saw her.
The question had long ago became an invitation to confession. He avoided her eyes.
"Fanny and Aubrey were over," he answered.
She interrupted. "Please don't talk about them."
"Oh, nothing in particular," he hastened. "Henrietta is the same as ever."
"An ideal wife for a future public hero," she exclaimed. Basine frowned.
"I'd rather you didn't make a joke about such things, Doris."
"I'm not joking. But to be a great leader a man must have only one love--the love of being a great leader."
"That's wrong," Basine blurted out. "A woman can help a man forward if he loves her and she's clever and loves him."