he wasn't a Socialist and whether he didn't want to pull down
Chexington and grow potatoes all over the park.

This struck Prothero as an inadequate statement of the Socialist
project and he made an unsuccessful attempt to get it amended.

The engagement thus opened was renewed with great energy at lunch.
Sir Godfrey had returned to London and the inmost aspect of his
fellow-creatures, but the party of three was supplemented by a vague
young lady from the village and an alert agent from the neighbouring
Tentington estate who had intentions about a cottage. Lady Marayne
insisted upon regarding Socialism as a proposal to reinaugurate the
first French Revolution, as an inversion of society so that it would
be bottom upward, as an attack upon rule, order, direction. "And
what good are all these proposals? If you had the poor dear king
beheaded, you'd only get a Napoleon. If you divided all the
property up between everybody, you'd have rich and poor again in a
year."

Billy perceived no way of explaining away this version of his
Socialism that would not involve uncivil contradictions--and nobody
ever contradicted Lady Marayne.

"But, Lady Marayne, don't you think there is a lot of disorder and
injustice in the world?" he protested.

"There would be ever so much more if your Socialists had their way."

"But still, don't you think-- . . ."