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“Who was it who said, 'the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless: peacocks and lilies, for instance'?" "I think that was Ruskin," says Jack. "Ha!" laughs Charles. "There's truth in that. Could have included women, too." Charles laughs loudly at his own joke. "Only if you're to assume a woman's sole purpose in life is to look good," counters Lillian. "Well of course... there's looking good... and there's child-bearing," adds Charles, still looking ahead at the bird. Lillian grips the bag in her lap a little more tightly. If the artist seated behind them is aware of the tension, he deflects artfully. "I think Ruskin misses the point," he says. "Beauty is never useless. It has purpose. Look at us, sitting here. We've ceased all other activity just to pause for a moment and wonder at the sight of this bird. The extraordinary jolts us from the mundane and makes us feel something. It reminds us we're alive." "Rather like art," says Lillian, after a moment. Jack meets her gaze in the wing-mirror and nods. "Yes. Art. Music. Love." Lillian drops her gaze, unexpected heat flooding her cheeks.” — Hannah Richell