Fraternity Author:John Galsworthy Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III Hilary's Brown Study "A/HAT do you really think Uncle Hilary?" V Y Turning at his writing-table to look at the face of his young niece, Hila... more »ry Dallison answered: " My dear, we have had the same state of affairs since the beginning of the world. There is no chemical process, as far as my knowledge goes, that does not make waste products. What your grandfather calls our 'shadows' are the waste products of the social process. That there is a submerged tenth is as certain as that there is an emerged fiftieth like ourselves; exactly who they are and how they come, whether they can ever be improved away, is, I think, as uncertain as anything can be. " The figure of the girl seated in the big armchair did not stir. Her lips pouted contemptuously, a frown wrinkled her forehead. " Martin says that a thing is only impossible when we think it so." "Faith and the mountain, I 'm afraid." Thyme's foot shot forth; it nearly came into contact with Miranda, the little bulldog. "Oh, duckie!" But the little moonlight bulldog backed away. " I hate these slums, uncle; they 're so disgusting!" Hilary leaned his face on his thin hand; it was his characteristic attitude. "They are hateful, disgusting, and heartrending. That does not make the problem any the less difficult, does it?" " I believe we simply make the difficulties ourselves by seeing them." Hilary smiled. "Does Martin say that too?" "Of course he does." "Speaking broadly," murmured Hilary, "I see only one difficulty—human nature." Thyme rose. "I think it horrible to have a low opinion of human nature." "My dear," said Hilary, "don't you think perhaps that people who have what is called a low opinion of human nature are really more tolerant of it, more in love with it, in fac...« less