Equality of effort and result, no.
To destroy the chance of gain was to put a premium on inertia; to
kill ambition; to reduce the high without raising the low.
At noon on the same day Willy Cameron went back to the house on
Cardew Way, to find Lily composed and resigned, instead of the
militant figure he had expected. He asked her to go home, and she
told him then that she had no longer a home to go to.
"I meant to go, Willy," she finished. "I meant to go this morning.
But you see how things are."
He had stood for a long time, looking at nothing very hard. "I
see," he said finally. "Of course your grandfather will be sorry
in a day or two, but he may not swallow his pride very soon."
That rather hurt her.
"What about my pride?" she asked.
"You can afford to be magnanimous with all your life before you."
Then he faced her. "Besides, Lily, you're wrong. Dead wrong.
You've hurt three people, and all you've got out of it has been
your own way."
"There is such a thing as liberty."
"I don't know about that. And a good many crimes have been committed
in its name." Even in his unhappiness he was controversial. "We are
never really free, so long as we love people, and they love us.
Pages:
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289