When the two parties removed after dinner, Rey ran up to her friend, and seeing him slightly improved, attended him into the drawing-room, where he was welcomed by Hux and Phasma with many professions of pleasure; and Rey had never seen them so agreeable as they were during the hour which passed before Ren and Dameron appeared. Their powers of conversation were considerable. They could be courteous and tactful, and even relate an anecdote with humour.
But when those two gentlemen entered, Finn and Rey were no longer the first objects; General Hux's eyes were instantly turned toward Ren, and he had something to say to him before he had advanced many steps. Ren addressed himself to Finn, with a polite congratulation as to his headache being so improved; but diffuseness and warmth remained for Dameron's salutation. He showed as much joy and attention as he could be expected to do given the circumstances, and scarcely talked to anyone else the whole evening. Rey, at work once more on her lightsaber in the opposite corner to the two friends, saw it all with great delight.
When tea was over, Miss Phasma reminded the general of the Dejarik-table – but in vain. He had obtained private intelligence that Mr. Ren did not wish for games; and Miss Phasma soon found even her open petition rejected. Hux assured her that no one intended to play, and the silence of the whole party on the subject seemed to justify him. Miss Phasma had therefore nothing to do, but sit in silent indignation for the duration of the evening. Ren took up a book, and General Hux did the same.
General Hux's attention was quite as much engaged in watching Mr. Ren's progress through his book, as in reading his own; and he was perpetually either making some inquiry, or looking at Ren's page. He could not win him, however, to any conversation; he merely answered his question very curtly, and read on. At length, quite exhausted by the attempt to be focused on his own book, which he had only chosen because it was on a similar subject to Ren's, he said in a loud voice, "How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way! I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!"
No one made any reply. Hux threw aside his book, and cast his eyes round the room in quest for something to do; when hearing the captain mentioning a ball to Officer Bennet, he turned suddenly towards him and said:
"By the bye, Dameron, are you really serious in meditating a dance on Netherfield? I would advise you, before you determine on it, to consult the wishes of the present party; I am much mistaken if there are not some among us to whom a ball, especially one held here, would be rather a punishment than a pleasure. Such nonsense as a ball on Netherfield, at the base of the First Order? It is not to be conceived of!"
"If you mean Ren," cried Dameron, "he may go to bed, if he chooses, and so may you, before it begins – but as for the ball, it is quite a settled thing; and as soon as there is white soup enough, I shall send round the invitations. You have said yourself that you despise the public meeting-halls on Merytonia; why, then, would you turn down the opportunity to enjoy yourself and meet with the leading figures of galactic politics right here at home?"
"I should like balls infinitely better," Hux replied, "if they were carried on in a different manner; but there is something insufferably tedious in the usual process of such a meeting. It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing were made the order of the day. What use have we for dancing and parties? No, rational political conversation would be much more to the purpose."
"Much more rational, my dear Hux, I dare say, but it would not be near so much like a ball."
General Hux made no answer, and soon afterwards he got up and walked about the room imperiously, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. His figure was fine and his posture impressively correct; but Ren, at whom it was all aimed, was still inflexibly studious. In the desperation of his feelings, he resolved on one effort more, and, turning to Rey, said:
"Miss Rey Kenobi, let me persuade you to follow my example, and take a turn about the room. I assure you it is very refreshing after sitting so long in one attitude."
Rey was surprised, but agreed to it immediately. General Hux succeeded no less in the real object of his civility; Mr. Ren looked up. He was as much awake to the novelty of attention in that quarter as Rey herself could be, and unconsciously closed his book. He was directly invited to join their party, but he declined it, observing that he could imagine but two motives for their choosing to walk up and down the room together, with either of which motives his joining them would interfere. "What could he mean? He was dying to know what could be his meaning?" – and asked Rey whether she could at all understand him?
"Not at all," was her answer; "but depend upon it, he means to be severe on us, and our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing about it." And the surest way of retaining her composure, Rey added silently, would be to avoid as much conversation with Ren as possible.
General Hux, however, was incapable of disappointing Mr. Ren in anything, and persevered therefore in requiring an explanation of his two motives.
"I have not the smallest objection to explaining them," said Ren, as soon as Hux allowed him to speak. "You either choose this method of passing the evening because you two alone wish to continue the conversations of the afternoon, or because you are conscious that your figures appear to the greatest advantage in walking; if the first, I would be completely in your way, having no desire to begin once more any talk of politics, and if the second, I can admire you much better as I sit by the window."
"Oh! shocking!" cried General Hux. "I never heard anything so abominable. How shall we punish him for such a speech?"
"Nothing so easy, if you have but the inclination," said Rey. "We can all plague and punish one another, and no weapons are required. Tease him – laugh at him. Well acquainted as you are, you must know how it is to be done." At that moment, Rey's annoyance and the arrogance and presumption of Ren's remark made her wish for nothing more than to punish him for it.
"But upon my honour, I do not. I do assure you that my acquaintance with Ren has not yet taught me that. Tease greatness of power and presence of mind! No, no; I feel he may defy us there. And as to laughter, we will not expose ourselves, if you please, by attempting to laugh without a subject. Mr. Ren may hug himself."
"Mr. Ren is not to be laughed at!" cried Rey. "That is an uncommon advantage, and uncommon I hope it will continue, for it would be a great loss to me to have many such acquaintances. I dearly love a laugh."
"General Hux," said he, "has given me more credit than can be. The wisest and the best of people – nay, the wisest and best of their actions – may be rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke."
"Certainly," replied Rey – "there are such people, but I hope I am not one of them. I hope I never ridicule what is wise and good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. And though what is wise and good may be rendered ridiculous, so too can the evil, malicious, or merely ridiculous be rendered good and amiable and admirable by those who wish it so," she said pointedly.
The horrible Lord Vader was the figure of evil of whom Rey was thinking, who had been indeed rendered admirable by Ren, and it seemed Ren had picked up on this, for he said nothing.
"I rather wonder at the person who does not find silliness and folly to be diverting," Rey continued. "Indeed, I believe we all must laugh at such failures, especially when we suspect them to be within ourselves, so as to try to rid ourselves of them. But these, I suppose, are precisely what you are without."
"Perhaps that is not possible for anyone. But is has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule."
"Such as vanity and pride."
"Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride – where there is a real superiority of mind and ability, pride will always be under good regulation."
Rey turned away to hide a smile. Composing herself, she added: "And what of viciousness? What think you of an excess of violence in a character?"
"During wartime, violence is necessary, Miss Kenobi. That is a truth we must all face. So long as it does not give him or her undue pleasure, violence must always be excused in a warrior."
Rey said nothing, raising her eyebrow. She did not trust herself to reply in a manner that could in any way be construed as civil.
"Your examination of Mr. Ren is over, I presume," said General Hux; "and pray what is the result?"
"I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr. Ren has no defect. He owns it himself without disguise."
"No," said Ren, "I have made no such pretension. I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too uncontrollable, too vicious, and too little yielding – certainly too little for the convenience of the galaxy. I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their offenses against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."
"That is a failing indeed!" cried Rey. "Implacable resentment is a shade in a character. But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot laugh at it. You are safe from me." She was very surprised at the openness with which he declared his faults, but not at all surprised at the faults themselves.
"There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil – a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."
"And your defect is to hate everybody."
"And yours," he replied, and Rey thought she could hear a smile in his voice, "is willfully to misunderstand them."
"I am afraid I do not take your meaning, sir. I imagine your actions serve to prove the truth of my words more than anything else could do," Rey said archly.
"I imagine they might, if certain matters are not known of. A person's actions may reveal anything the viewer fancies if underlying facts and circumstances are unknown," Ren said slowly.
"Certain actions must speak for themselves, though, I believe," Rey said, fighting to subdue her temper.
"Do let us have a little music," cried General Hux, tired of a conversation in which he had no share. The piano was then opened; and Ren, after a few moments' recollection, was not sorry for it. He began to feel the danger of paying Rey too much attention.