Every female child in Shawe would have had a prospect before her, and the village would have attracted decent poor families, who might somehow have been helped to support themselves--" Lady Ogram waved her hand contemptuously.
"Somehow! That's the way with your conservative-reform women.

Somehow! Always vague, rambling notions--" "Conservative-reform!" exclaimed Mrs.Gallantry, showing a little pique, though her face was pleasant as ever.

"Surely your own ideas are to a great extent conservative." "Yes, but there's a liberal supply of common sense in them!" cried the hostess, so delighted to have made a joke that she broke into cackling laughter, and laughed until failure of breath made her gasp and wriggle in her chair, an alarming spectacle.

To divert attention, Constance began talking about the mill, describing the good effect it had wrought in certain families.

Dyce listened with an air almost as engrossed as that of Mr.Gallantry, and, when his moment came, took up the conversation.
"Mrs.Gallantry's suggestion," he said, "is admirable, and the sooner it's carried out, not merely in one place, but all over England, the better.