Wild Geese Overhead Read Online Free PDF

rather than to other human beings. And the results were certainly more inhuman than the world had yet known, in the form of slums, unemployment, poverty, and wars of a brutality and magnitude beyond any medieval dream.
    So there arose in the modern age the new school of thought which said that man does not attain freedom by being able to break away from society, but, on the contrary, attains freedom only in and through society itself. Only in a community working, not for the profit of a few but for the good of the whole, does man really become free. For he is a social animal and without his social inheritance would be no more than a beast of the jungle. The old bourgeois conception of the freedom of the individual apart from society was a pretty myth with a hellish inheritance.
    So the opposition went. And Will had to admit to himself that, as far as his little effort to attain solitary freedom in the country was concerned, the new school of thought won hands down!
    And the experience of being introduced to the landlady’s niece on his second Sunday on the farm did not disillusion him. He could see by an instinctive withdrawing movement the girl made on his unexpected approach that she would have avoided the introduction if she could. But that was now impossible for she and her aunt were standing on the grass in front of the house regarding the dying crocuses, and Mrs. Armstrong, turning round, greeted him, and could not but present “My niece, Jenny—at least I should say Miss Baird.” Her laughing words were a trifle self-conscious, for there was little natural guile in this warm-hearted woman. They bowed without shaking hands, and Mrs. Armstrong to cover her astonishment at such behaviour asked him where he had been and he told her, adding a question or two and being answered. Jenny showed no interest, and looked politely at her crocuses. She was without coat and hat and her hair had deep gold lights in it. There was admittedly a cool distinction in her face. Lifting her eyes unexpectedly, she met his—and did not waver—but calmly regarded him so that he got the impression of the eyes being set wide apart and so clearly blue as to seem translucent. He removed his own as if they had been contemplating her absentmindedly and had in no way been impressed.
    He walked into the house chatting to Mrs. Armstrong and, without turning round to acknowledge Jenny, entered his room.
    That should about suit her! he thought.
    All the same, something in the encounter excited him and he felt acutely annoyed. He understood her attitude perfectly well. Like himself, she wished to be free of the city; had enough of its contacts during the week; did not want, in particular, to run into the city male type. And here she comes to her small estate in the country and finds it invaded by—of all things—a city lodger! It must be a bit galling to her, obviously. And she must have exercised restraint in not persuading her aunt to refuse him. Yet there again, restraint was palpably her most striking characteristic!
    But, above all, what right had she to do the whole thing with so calm and untroubled a face? He could see the face still. Primavera in the picture! Her cool grace did not impress him, and if she was afraid he might claim her acquaintance, either here or in town, she was mistaken, vastly mistaken. The legend of her little country estate was safe enough as far as he was concerned!
    Finding himself all worked up, he paused, contemplated himself, and began to chuckle.
    His landlady came in to set the supper table. They talked about his walk again, where he had gone and the degree of less cold in the air. There was nothing else to talk about—except the new item, the niece.
    â€œShe works in town, but loves to come out here for the week-end. She’s been giving me my orders to-day about getting the garden dug and manured! She’s daft on flowers.”
    â€œIs she?”
    â€œYes. Every week-end