Excerpt
IThis is the story of Margaret Hugonin and of the Eagle. And with yourpermission, we will for the present defer all consideration of thebird, and devote our unqualified attention to Margaret.I have always esteemed Margaret the obvious, sensible, mostappropriate name that can be bestowed upon a girl-child, for it is aname that fits a woman--any woman--as neatly as her proper size ingloves.Yes, the first point I wish to make is that a woman-child, oncebaptised Margaret, is thereby insured of a suitable name. Be she graveor gay in after-life, wanton or pious or sullen, comely or otherwise,there will be no possible chance of incongruity; whether she develop ataste for winter-gardens or the higher mathematics, whether she taketo golf or clinging organdies, the event is provided for. One has onlyto consider for a moment, and if among a choice of Madge, Marjorie,Meta, Maggie, Margherita, Peggy, and Gretchen, and countlessothers--if among all these he cannot find a name that suits her to aT--why, then, the case is indeed desperate and he may permissiblyfall back upon Madam or--if the cat jump propitiously, and at his ownperil--on Darling or Sweetheart.The second proof that this name must be the best of all possible namesis that Margaret Hugonin bore it. And so the murder is out. You maysuspect what you choose. I warn you in advance that I have no partwhatever in her story; and if my admiration for her given name appearsomewhat excessive, I can only protest that in this dissentient worldevery one has a right to his own taste. I knew Margaret. I admiredher. And if in some unguarded moment I may have carried my admirationto the point of indiscretion, her husband most assuredly knows allabout it, by this, and he and I are still the best of friends. So youperceive that if I ever did so far forget myself it could scarcelyhave amounted to a hanging matter.I am doubly sure that Margaret Hugonin was beautiful, for the reasonthat I have never found a woman under forty-five who shared myopinion. If you clap a Testament into my hand, I cannot affirm thatwomen are eager to recognise beauty in one another; at the utmost theyconcede that this or that particular feature is well enough. But whena woman is clean-eyed and straight-limbed, and has a cheery heart,she really cannot help being beautiful; and when Nature accords hera sufficiency of dimples and an infectious laugh, I protest she iswell-nigh irresistible. And all these Margaret Hugonin had.And surely that is enough.I shall not endeavour, then, to picture her features to you in anynicely picked words. Her chief charm was that she was Margaret.And besides that, mere carnal vanities are trivial things; a grayeye or so is not in the least to the purpose. Yet since it is theimmemorial custom of writer-folk to inventory such possessions oftheir heroines, here you have a catalogue of her personal attractions.Launce's method will serve our turn.Imprimis, there was not very much of her--five feet three, at themost; and hers was the well-groomed modern type that implies agrandfather or two and is in every respect the antithesis of thathulking Venus of the Louvre whom people pretend to admire....