Download the Full Version of the Ebook with Added Features ebookname.

com

Electrodes for Li ion Batteries Materials

Mechanisms and Performance 1. Aufl Edition Laure
Monconduit

https://ebookname.com/product/electrodes-for-li-ion-
batteries-materials-mechanisms-and-performance-1-aufl-
edition-laure-monconduit/

OR CLICK HERE

DOWLOAD NOW

Download more ebook instantly today at https://ebookname.com

Instant digital products (PDF, ePub, MOBI) available
Download now and explore formats that suit you...

Fundamentals and Application of Lithium ion Batteries in

Electric Drive Vehicles 1st Edition Jiuchun Jiang

https://ebookname.com/product/fundamentals-and-application-of-lithium-
ion-batteries-in-electric-drive-vehicles-1st-edition-jiuchun-jiang/

ebookname.com

Handbook of Modern Ion Beam Materials Analysis 2 nd

Edition Volume 1 Wang Y.

https://ebookname.com/product/handbook-of-modern-ion-beam-materials-
analysis-2-nd-edition-volume-1-wang-y/

ebookname.com

Harsh Environment Electronics Interconnect Materials and

Performance Assessment 1. Auflage Edition Sharif

https://ebookname.com/product/harsh-environment-electronics-
interconnect-materials-and-performance-assessment-1-auflage-edition-
sharif/
ebookname.com

biotechnology 1st Edition U Satyanarayana

https://ebookname.com/product/biotechnology-1st-edition-u-
satyanarayana/

ebookname.com
PostgreSQL High Availability Cookbook 2nd Edition Shaun M.
Thomas

https://ebookname.com/product/postgresql-high-availability-
cookbook-2nd-edition-shaun-m-thomas/

ebookname.com

Biological Microarrays Methods and Protocols 1st Edition

Stuart C. Sealfon

https://ebookname.com/product/biological-microarrays-methods-and-
protocols-1st-edition-stuart-c-sealfon/

ebookname.com

Success in On line Learning 1st Edition Candice Kramer

https://ebookname.com/product/success-in-on-line-learning-1st-edition-
candice-kramer/

ebookname.com

U S Counter Terrorism Efforts in Africa 1st Edition George

H. Rasmussen

https://ebookname.com/product/u-s-counter-terrorism-efforts-in-
africa-1st-edition-george-h-rasmussen/

ebookname.com

Bach s Cycle Mozart s Arrow An Essay on the Origins of

Musical Modernity 1st Edition Karol Berger

https://ebookname.com/product/bach-s-cycle-mozart-s-arrow-an-essay-on-
the-origins-of-musical-modernity-1st-edition-karol-berger/

ebookname.com
RBT Writing Resource Books for Teachers 2nd Edition Tricia
Hedge

https://ebookname.com/product/rbt-writing-resource-books-for-
teachers-2nd-edition-tricia-hedge/

ebookname.com
Electrodes for Li-ion Batteries
Energy Storage – Batteries and Supercapacitors Set
coordinated by
Patrice Simon and Jean-Marie Tarascon

Volume 2

Electrodes for
Li-ion Batteries

Materials, Mechanisms and Performance

Laure Monconduit
Laurence Croguennec
Rémi Dedryvère
First published 2015 in Great Britain and the United States by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as
permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced,
stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers,
or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licenses issued by the
CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the
undermentioned address:

ISTE Ltd John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

27-37 St George’s Road 111 River Street
London SW19 4EU Hoboken, NJ 07030
UK USA

www.iste.co.uk www.wiley.com

© ISTE Ltd 2015

The rights of Laure Monconduit, Laurence Croguennec and Rémi Dedryvère to be identified as the
authors of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015937457

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-84821-721-8
 Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

CHAPTER 1. NEGATIVE ELECTRODES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1. Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2. Classic materials: insertion mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.1. Graphitic carbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.2. Titanium oxides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.3. Toward other materials and other mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.3.1. Silicon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.3.2. Other block p elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1.4. Summary on negative electrodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

CHAPTER 2. POSITIVE ELECTRODES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

2.1. Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.2. Layered transition metal oxides as positive
electrode materials for Li-ion batteries:
from LiCoO2 to Li1+xM1-xO2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.2.1. The layered oxide LiCoO2: the starting point . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.2.2. From LiNiO2, initially explored as an
alternative to LiCoO2, to the commercialization
of LiNi0.80Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) and
LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NMC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
vi Electrodes for Li-Ion Batteries

2.2.3. Electrode/electrolyte interfaces and aging

phenomena in layered oxides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.2.4. High-capacity Li-rich layered oxides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2.3. Alternatives to layered oxides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
2.3.1. Materials with spinel structure: from
LiMn2O4 to LiNi1/2Mn3/2O4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
2.3.2. The olivine phase LiFePO4: a small revolution . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
 Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank their colleagues from RS2E and Alistore-
ERI, respectively, the French and European research networks on the
electrochemical storage of energy, for their numerous discussions. They
would also like to thank CNRS and Région Aquitaine for their financial
support. Laurence Croguennec is grateful to C. Delmas, M. Ménétrier,
D. Carlier, F. Weill and C. Masquelier for their collaboration and numerous
discussions shared on different oxide and polyanionic electrode materials for
Li-ion batteries. Rémi Dedryvère is grateful to D. Gonbeau, D. Foix,
J.B. Ledeuil and H. Martinez, as well as the firm SAFT for its financial help
and scientific exchanges. Laure Monconduit is grateful to L. Stievano,
M.T. Sougrati, B. Fraisse, J. Fullenwarth and M.L. Doublet for their fruitful
collaboration.
 Preface

The aim of this book, focusing on negative and positive electrode

materials for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, is not to draw up an exhaustive
list of all the electrode materials studied, but rather to identify the main
properties needed for an electrode material to function best when applied in
a Li-ion battery. Different families of negative electrode materials are
presented, bringing different lithiation/delithiation mechanisms into play,
which correspond to specific performances. We will see that these
performances strongly depend on crystallographic structure as well as on
these materials’ morphology. Regarding positive electrode materials, some
examples of oxides with layered and spinel structures, as well as materials
with polyanionic structures, have been chosen to illustrate how an in-depth
knowledge of the materials and their evolution during redox processes has
enabled them to be optimized as positive electrode materials. It is first
important to properly characterize (understand) the material (composition,
structure, defects, etc.) to then be able to change its composition and
microstructure, as well as, potentially, its surface in order to optimize it.
Lithium batteries were first developed to respond to a need for high energy
density batteries for electronics and portable applications (telephones,
computers, etc.). Today, new needs stimulate the development of new
batteries, not only high energy density batteries but also high power density
batteries, more specifically for applications in electric vehicles (EV), hybrid
electric vehicles (HEV) or tools. In all cases, and in applications relating to
transport especially, safety remains a critical parameter.
Rémi DEDRYVÈRE
Laurence CROGUENNEC
Laure MONCONDUIT
April 2015
 Introduction

Toward efficient Li-ion batteries

In its most classic structure, a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery contains a

negative electrode made of carbon graphite, a positive electrode made of a
layered oxide LiMO2 (M transition metal, e.g. LiCoO2) and a polypropylene
separator soaked in an electrolyte made of a lithium salt (e.g. LiPF6)
dissolved in a mixture of alkyl carbonate organic solvents (e.g. ethylene
carbonate–dimethyl carbonate (EC–DMC)). The reversible electrochemical
process is as follows:

At the positive electrode: LiMO2 ⇆ Li(1−x)MO2 + x Li+ + x e- , 0 < x < 0.5

At the negative electrode: C6 + y Li+ + y e- ⇆ LiyC6 , 0 < y < 1

It is on this LiCoO2//graphite combination that the success of the Li-ion

accumulators is built, a success which has enabled the tremendous growth in
portable electronics that has completely revolutionized our society. The
challenge for scientific research in this domain is precisely to distance itself
from this classic schema in order to respond to new requirements for future
applications targeted at developing new positive and negative electrode
materials.

It is necessary to note that positive electrodes are often called “cathodes”

in scientific literature in this domain, just as negative electrodes are often
called “anodes”. Although this term should only be used when the battery is
discharging and not charging (these are rechargeable accumulators), we will
xii Electrodes for Li-Ion Batteries

sometimes use the terms “cathode” and “anode” in this book for the sake of
simplicity. The electrodes are made up of a large majority of
electrochemically active materials (between 70 and 95%), but also
of polymer binder and potentially a conductive additive. In the following, we
will only focus on active materials.

The main prerequisites for determining the choice of active materials for
positive electrodes (cathode) and negative electrodes (anode) in a Li-ion
battery are summarized in Table I.1.

Negative electrode AM Positive electrode AM

AM should have a reversible reaction with Li, with the minimum possible structural
changes on insertion/extraction

The insertion/extraction of Li should be carried out as rapidly as possible to achieve

high power densities

AM should insert/react with a maximum of Li to reach a high capacity

Weak potential close to that of Li+/Li to obtain High potential compared to that of
maximum tension in the Li-ion battery Li+/Li to obtain maximum tension in
the Li-ion battery

AM should have good compatibility with the electrolyte

AM should have good electronic and ionic conductivity

AM should be abundant, synthesis should be simple and not expensive

AM should be thermally and chemically stable and non-toxic

Table I.1. The conditions that constitutive active materials (AM) of positive and negative
electrodes should meet in order to create a Li-ion battery

The gravimetric or volumetric energy density (Wh/kg or Wh/L) is a

major criterion for evaluating a battery’s performances. This being
dependent on the product of the capacity × potential difference of the two
 Introduction xiii

electrodes, by simplifying the problem it is possible to seek the materials

displaying the highest gravimetric capacities (mAh/g) or volumetric
capacities (mAh/cm3) possible, with the highest possible potential for the
positive and the lowest possible potential for the negative. In reality, the
problem is more complex; for example, for the negative electrode,
a potential a little higher than that of graphite facilitates an increase in safety.
However, given the enormous difference in gravimetric capacity observed
between active materials of the two electrodes (favoring the negative), an
improvement in the capacity of the positives represents a more important
gain.

The power density (W/kg or W/L) is also an important criterion, since the
batteries will be subject to peaks in electricity production (charge) or
consumption (discharge) for some future applications, such as storage of
renewable forms of energy. In this case, it is the considerations of kinetics
that are important. The insertion/extraction of the lithium into the material,
which is directly linked to the active material’s electronic and ionic
conductivity, should be as rapid as possible. There also the problem is more
complex because the kinetically limiting stage can be situated at the level of
the interface between the active material and the electrolyte, as we will see
next.

Economic and environmental considerations will be added to these

criteria. It is important to take these into account in order to plan a large-
scale development in applications such as transport (electric vehicles) and
storage of renewable energies.

The active material’s chemical or electrochemical compatibility with the

electrolyte is just as important a criterion as the previous ones, and the
notion of an interface between the active material and the electrolyte
(generally liquid) is indissociable from the electrodes’ performance in Li-ion
batteries. All the Li-ion batteries currently available on the market can, in
fact, only function due to the formation of electrode/electrolyte interfaces
that are stable over time (at the negative electrodes, in particular). Figure I.1
shows a better understanding of this problem. The two electrode materials,
positive and negative, are solids characterized by their Fermi levels EF+ and
EF-. The positive electrode, whose potential is highest, corresponds to the
material whose Fermi level is lowest in energy, since it is that which will
accept the electrons coming from the negative electrode when the battery is
 Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
Spats by Grant and Cockburn; but Grandmamma, confessing to
reluctance, was bound to say that, although this spirited conduct
might help things a little, she was afraid it would not help them
sufficiently.
Braided Morning Coat was awfully sorry. So was Grandmamma,
sincerely sorry. Such a mannerly and personable young man; same
school as John Peter Kendall, though not the same college. But it
appeared to her, speaking with all reserve, and an ample sense of
responsibility, that Mr. Shelmerdine’s status in his profession—
whatever his profession might be, and she was not so clear on that
point as she would like to be—was due to the fact that he was the
eldest son of his father.
Braided Morning Coat confessed frankly that it might be so,
although he was not without pecuniary resources of his own. There
was also a small property in Cheshire which had come to him
recently through his Aunt Tabitha, and was let on a five years’ lease
to one of the founders of the Zionist movement.
“I learn from my granddaughter, Mr. Shelmerdine, that your father
is a Peer.”
Braided Morning Coat humbly made that damaging admission.
“And that you succeed to the title?”
Braided Morning Coat, beginning to feel very low and miserable,
pleaded guilty to this also.
“All this, to my mind, Mr. Shelmerdine, constitutes an insuperable
barrier.” Diction beautifully clear and mellow. How can it be otherwise
with the Bean and Kendall tradition!
“Let me make myself quite understood, Mr. Shelmerdine. It hardly
seems right, to my mind, that an old theatrical family should form an
alliance with a comparatively recent peerage. I believe, Mr.
Shelmerdine, ‘comparatively recent’ is not in excess of the facts.
Jane, my parlor maid, has looked it up in Debrett, as my eyesight is
not of the best. Created 1904, I believe, to the best of my
recollection, during Mr. Vandeleur’s second administration.”
 The answer was in the affirmative.
“Your father is a man of great distinction, I understand, a
Proconsul who has rendered invaluable service to the Empire. All
that I have heard about him redounds to his honor, but I cannot think
he would give his sanction to this proposed alliance. I may say that I
should not, if I were he.”
Braided Morning Coat was rather distressed.
“The fact is, Mr. Shelmerdine, I am strongly opposed to this
modern craze for contracting matrimonial alliances between the
theatrical profession and the peerage. To my mind, they are two
entirely alien institutions. They both have their personal traditions
and their private status, of which they have a right to be jealous; but
it seems to me, and I am sure I voice the opinion of John Peter
Kendall, were he not in his grave, that this unfortunate custom, which
has lately come into vogue, lowers the dignity of both those
institutions, is demoralizing in itself, and tends to diminish the
respect in which either is held by the Public.”
Braided Morning Coat felt that “Hear, hear!” would have been
appropriate to this beautifully delivered oration. But it had not the
spirit now to say “Hear, hear” to anything. Its fond but presumptuous
hopes lay shattered in a thousand pieces.
“The Public expects certain things of you, Mr. Shelmerdine, as
the future head of a distinguished family. As a woman of extended
public experience, I would like to give you this piece of advice, which
was given to me by Mr. Macready: Never disappoint the Public, and
the Public will never disappoint you. You have your duties to fulfil—to
yourself, to your family, and to your country. I do not say that my
granddaughter would be incapable of helping you to fulfil them,
because a member of an old theatrical family, in my judgment, Mr.
Shelmerdine, is unworthy of the great traditions in which she has
been bred if she cannot adorn any position to which it may please
Providence to call her. But, at the same time, I recognize that public
opinion looks to you to form an alliance elsewhere. I am sure it will
be a great disappointment to the world, and a great grief to your
excellent parents, whom I have not the pleasure of knowing, but
who, I am sure, must be very worthy as well as very distinguished
people, if you should persist in this desire to form an alliance with my
granddaughter.”
Braided Morning Coat, for all the compliments paid to it, which it
had every reason to think sincere, began to feel as chastened as if it
had been knocked down and run over by a Barnes and
Hammersmith omnibus. Long before Grandmamma had said her
say, the unlucky garment hadn’t a kick left in it.
Where was Mary? Somehow it did not seem to be playing quite
fair to leave him all this time to the tender mercies of Grandmamma.
Full of mischief like the rest of ’em, thought the Braided Morning
Coat. She knows all the time we are gettin’ it terrific; but instead of
standin’ by us like a man and a brother, she retires to the basement
to help Cook peel the potatoes for supper.
“I hope, ma’am,” said the miserable varlet, “your decision is not a
final one.”
“I am afraid, Mr. Shelmerdine, that I can find no reason at present
to think otherwise.”
“Well, ma’am, it’s hardly my fault that I may have to succeed my
father.”
“Mr. Shelmerdine, I quite accept that statement.”
In the neck again, you silly blighter, snarled the Twin Brethren.
“I’d abdicate if I could, but I can’t, ma’am, accordin’ to the rules of
the Constitution. My Governor says—”
“Mr. Shelmerdine, I fully appreciate the insurmountable nature of
the barrier.”
“I shall have enough to keep a wife, ma’am, but if you feel that I
ought to go into Parliament, I shall be only too pleased to see about
it at once.”
Lady Macbeth appreciated the honorable nature of the proposal,
which intensified her great regret. But even a seat in Parliament
could not gloss over the fact that he was the son of his father.
 Suddenly, the front door bell pealed loudly down in the basement
and reverberated throughout the house. A casual caller—perhaps
Grandmamma’s old friend, Sir Swire, who called to see her most
Sundays when he was in London.
The Braided Morning Coat winged a pious apostrophe to its
private, particular gods.
Alas! the luckless garment was a trifle premature in its hymn of
thanksgiving.
 CHAPTER XIV
IN WHICH MARY QUALIFIES FOR THE RÔLE
OF THE BAD GIRL OF THE FAMILY

Now who do you suppose it was, my lords and gentlemen, who

pulled that blessed bell-wire? No, not the ex-lessee of the
Cornmarket Theater. Miss Mary, helping Cook to peel the potatoes
down in the basement, made herself acquainted with that fact when
she pulled aside the window curtains and looked up through the
area. Cockades and things were before the door of No. 10 Bedford
Gardens; a raking pair of chestnuts; and a smart rubber-tired vehicle
with armorial bearings.
The Bad Girl of the Family, peering through the kitchen curtains,
with a half-peeled potato in one hand, and a bone-hafted knife in the
other, saw Jeames de la Pluche, Esquire, who in that charming but
absurd fur cape reminded her not a little of Harry Merino as the Cat
in the moral drama of Dick Whittington, leap down from his perch
with marked agility, whisk open the door, and lend assistance to
something very uncommon in the way of distinction.
Uncommon Distinction was blonde and bland of countenance
and very grande dame, as you could tell by her Carriage. Looked
through her folders, and saw Number 10 over the fanlight; and as
this she did, one of those terrible flashes of feminine intuition
overtook Mary, that this must surely be Mother.
Yes, Mother undoubtedly. Had not Philip himself the same bland,
blonde frontispiece; the same ample look of nourishment; the same
air of deliberation as of one a little slow in the uptake; the same faint
far-off suggestion of a finely grown vegetable? And to the quick eye
of the feminine observer through the kitchen curtains, there were
certain things pertaining to Mother which, up to the present, Son had
not developed.
 The clang of the front door bell reverberated through the
basement.
“Drat it, Miss Mary,” said Cook. “And me not dressed yet. Would
you mind letting in Sir Swire?”
“Why, of course,” said Miss Mary.
“But hadn’t you better leave your knife and your pertater, Miss
Mary?”
“Oh, Sir Swire won’t mind those, Hannah; they’ll amuse him,”
said the Bad Girl of the Family, who was half-way up the kitchen
stairs already.
Mother upon the doorstep, in her new ermine tippet, was shocked
not a little, deep down in the recesses of her nature. Still of course
she was far too well found in the ways of the world to give her
feelings publication. But if one is so ill-advised as to visit in
Bohemian circles in the afternoon of the Sabbath Day, one must be
prepared for all contingencies. Still, a half-pared potato, a sack-cloth
apron, and a bone-hafted kitchen knife is a rather informal reception
of a real peeress from Grosvenor Square on the part of Bedford
Gardens.
“Mrs. Cathcart at home?” said Grosvenor Square, No. 88, the
corner house, very bland and splendid.
“Oh, yes—won’t you come in?” said the Bad Girl winningly.
Impressive entrance of Governing Classes into an ill-lit but fairly
spacious interior, which had a bust of Edward Bean over the
hatstand, and John Peter Kendall as Richard II by—not after—
Maclise over the dining-room door.
“Lady Shelmerdine,” said the bland and splendid one, as Mary
pushed the front door to with her foot because her hands were
occupied.
“Of Potterhanworth?” said the Bad Girl in tones warm and
velvety.
“Oh, yes,” said the Governing Classes, pained, perhaps, a little.
 “Philip’s mother—so delighted—hope you don’t object to potatoes
—it’s Jane’s afternoon out.”
But no further communication was forthcoming from the
Governing Classes all the way up the solid length of stair-carpet to
Grandmamma’s withdrawing-room.
Mary preceded No. 88 Grosvenor Square, potato, bone-hafted
knife, sacking-cloth apron and all, into the stately presence of the
cap-with-lace-which-had-been-worn-by-Siddons.
“Lady Shelmerdine of Potterhanworth, Granny.”
The Bad Girl turned and fled; very nearly impaled herself on the
bone-hafted knife by counting fourteen stairs instead of thirteen, and
continuing her course headlong until she fell howling into the arms of
Cook. But in Edward Bean’s goddaughter’s withdrawing-room it was
no laughing matter, my lords and gentlemen, we feel bound to tell
you that. And we are forced to agree, though very reluctantly, with
what Grandmamma said privately to the Bad Girl afterwards, which
was that she would be none the worse for a good whipping.
“Mrs. Cathcart, I presume?” said No. 88 Grosvenor Square, very
bland and splendid, although the tones had no need to be so icy—
they hadn’t, really.
“You have the advantage of me,” said the Lady Macbeth to John
Peter Kendall, offering her venerable hand to the angle of 1851, the
Exhibition Year. “Ah, yes, Lady Shelmerdine—delighted to make
your acquaintance.”
What of the Braided Morning Coat, you ask, while all this was
toward? Perspiring freely in every pore and leaning up against the
chimney-piece, and looking rather gray about the gills.
Should it make a bolt, or should it stay and grapple with the
music? The pusillanimity of the former course, tempting no doubt to
a weak resolution, would involve death and damnation; but the
heroism of the latter required all that could be mustered by the
playing fields of Eton and Christ Church. But while the unhappy
inhabitant of the Braided Morning Coat was surrendered to this
problem, the stern, uncompromising eye of Mother decided the
question.
“Phil-ipp!”
“Ma-ter!” And then, of course, the Twin Brethren called out the
reserves. “Mrs. Cathcart—My Mother.”
The bow of Grosvenor Square, No. 88, the corner house, was
aloof decidedly; the bow of the Lady Macbeth to John Peter Kendall
was so full of conscious power and accumulated dignity that it was
really quite gracious.
“Pray be seated, Lady Shelmerdine.”
Beautiful elocution on the part of the goddaughter of Edward
Bean.
Lady Shelmerdine seated herself rather superbly, and opened fire
with her tortoise-shell folders.
The cap-with-lace-that-had-been-worn-by-Siddons touched the
electric button at its elbow.
Entrance of the Bad Girl of the Family, without her apron this
time, and divested also of the potato and the bone-hafted knife.
“Mary, child, my spectacles.”
The Bad Girl dived desperately in the inmost recesses of the
chiffonnier; found Grandmamma’s spectacles, and prepared to
withdraw in something of a hurry. But she was detained.
“Has Jane returned, child?”
“Yes, Granny.”
“Ask her to have the goodness to bring some tea for Lady
Shelmerdine.”
“Oh, not for me, thank you.”
“You are quite sure?”
No. 88 Grosvenor Square, the corner house, was quite, quite
sure. Exit the Bad Girl of the Family without daring to look once in
the direction of the Braided Morning Coat that was still leaning up
forlornly against the chimney-piece.
“Mrs. Cathcart,” said the Governing Classes, getting the first gun
in action, “I have done myself the honor of calling upon you—”
“The honor, madam, is entirely mine,” Edward Bean’s
goddaughter assured her.
“—because of a most unfortunate state of affairs which has just
been brought to my notice.”
The goddaughter of Edward Bean looked sympathetic, although it
doesn’t always do to judge by appearances, you know.
“My unfortunate son—Phil-ipp, perhaps you will be good enough
to sit down, as it is most desirable that you should follow what I say
with the closest attention—my unfortunate son, to the grief of his
father, Lord Shelmerdine, has made a proposal of marriage to your
niece.”
Lady Macbeth suggested mildly that granddaughter might be
more in accordance with the facts of the case.
“Granddaughter—I beg your pardon. One has no need to tell you,
Mrs. Cathcart, who, I am sure, are a woman of the world, that this
act of my son’s has caused concern in his family.”
Lady Macbeth was sorry if that was the case.
“In point of fact, for some little time past my son has been
engaged to Lady Adela Rocklaw.”
“Not quite that, you know, Mater,” murmured the unhappy Braided
Morning Coat.
“—To Lady Adela Rocklaw, a daughter of Lord Warlock, and his
conduct will cause pain, although, of course, madam, it has not yet
become public property, and I sincerely hope it may not become so.”
“You ain’t puttin’ it quite fair, are you, Mater?” ventured the
Braided Morning Coat.
 “Phil-ipp, please!” A wave of a she-proconsular hand. “Allow me
to deal with the facts. A most embarrassing situation, madam, for
two families.”
“One moment, Lady Shelmerdine,” said Lady Macbeth. “May I
ask this question? Do I understand your son to be actually engaged
to Lady Adela Rocklaw?”
“Yes, madam, you may take that to be so.”
“Mr. Shelmerdine,” said the Queen of Tragedy, “I must ask you for
an explana-tion.”
Braided Morning Coat, notwithstanding that it was feeling
completely undone, unbuttoned itself nervously.
“The Mater’s a bit mixed, ma’am, and that’s the truth. I am not
engaged to Lady Adela.”
“Perhaps, Phil-ipp, not officially.”
“No, Mater, and not unofficially, and—” Herculean effort by the
Green Chartreuse—“I don’t mind sayin’, I’ve no intention—”
“Phil-ipp!”
“Lady Shelmerdine,” said the Queen of Tragedy, “the situation is
not altogether clear to my mind. Either your son is engaged to marry
Lady Adela Rocklaw, or he is not.”
“He is morally engaged to her.”
“I am sorry I am unable to appreciate the distinction. Do I
understand that your son is engaged to Lady Adela?”
“No, ma’am, I’m not,” said the Braided Morning Coat with
honorable boldness.
“But Phil-ipp!”
“It’s the truth, Mater. Mrs. Cathcart asks a plain question, and
there’s a plain answer. And after all, I’m the chap—”
“Quite so, Mr. Shelmerdine,” said Lady Macbeth, looking almost
as wise as the Lord Chief Justice of England as he sits in the Court
of Appeal. “This is your affair. You have a right to know your own
mind—moreover, you have a right to express it.”
The Braided Morning Coat felt the stronger for this well-timed
assistance. It was easy to see from which side of the family Miss
Mary had inherited her strong, good sense. A masterful old thing, but
she really was helpin’ a lame dog over a stile, wasn’t she?
Blonder and blander grew the Colthurst of Suffolk. It really looked
as though it might be a pretty set-to.
“Perhaps Phil-ipp, if you looked into your club for an hour—”
The Green Chartreuse, the horrid coward, wanted to quit the
stricken field prematurely. But if he had, as sure as Fate, Mother
would have won quite easily. Happily he did not. Mr. Philip stuck to
his guns like a Briton, and Grandmamma at least thought none the
worse of him for it. The Lady Macbeth to John Peter Kendall had an
opinion of her own on nearly every subject; and the order of which
the Braided Morning Coat would one day be an ornament had in her
judgment to carry a rather serious penalty; but the old thing in her
shrewd old heart—an imperious old thing, too—who had kept pretty
good company for eighty-four years or so, was not altogether
inclined to accept all the world and his wife at their surface valuation.
“The Family, madam,” said the Colthurst of Suffolk, “is unable to
countenance an alliance between my unfortunate son and your
granddaughter, who, one is given to understand, is at present
engaged in a pantomime. I am, however, empowered by Lord
Shelmerdine to offer reparation if such is required.”
These were not the actual words used by Mother. Her style was
easier, a little less florid, a trifle more conversational; but manner is
said to be more eloquent than matter in the higher diplomacy; thus
the foregoing represents more or less accurately the ultimatum of the
Governing Classes.
Grandmamma didn’t look pleased; at least not very. The Florid
Person was evidently taking herself rather seriously. Let her Beware
—that was all—quoth Conscious Strength, amid the inner
convolutions of the cap-of-real-lace-that-had-been-worn-by-Siddons.
 “It appears to me, Lady Shelmerdine,” said the goddaughter of
Edward Bean, “that this is perhaps a matter for your son and my
granddaughter, and that no practical purpose will be served by third
and fourth parties discussing it—except, perhaps, in a spirit purely
academic.”
In a spirit purely academic! Well done, Peggy, whispered the
delighted shade of John Peter Kendall, hovering somewhere in a
cornice of the ceiling, immediately above the bust of himself.
“Mrs. Cathcart, as a woman of the world, and as one who is in a
position to appreciate the feelings of a mother, I am sure I shall not
appeal to you in vain.”
When in doubt, saith the Diplomatist’s Handbook, Suaviter in
Modo is a card you should always play. But how often has
Grandmamma seen it, in the course of her eighty-four summers, do
you suppose?
It was here that the Braided Morning Coat felt it was up to it to
say something, and forthwith proceeded to do so.
“I agree with you, ma’am,” said he. “It’s just a matter for Mary and
me. She won’t say Yes, and I won’t take No, and there we are at
present. But I’m goin’ to ask her again, because I love her and all
that, and I know I’m not worthy of her—but I’m goin’ to try to be, and
I’m goin’ to see about Parliament at once.”
The silence was ominous.
“That appears to be a perfectly manly and straightforward course
to take, Mr. Shelmerdine,” said Grandmamma, breaking the silence
rather grimly.
Please observe that she didn’t tell Mother that she declined to
sanction the match. In the circumstances, therefore, it is hardly kind
to blame Mother for making quite a number of errors.
Of course error the first was to come when Mr. Philip was present
in propria persona. But that, we are afraid, was due to the aboriginal
defect of a parent in underrating the importance of its offspring. What
she ought to have done really, was to have come not as an important
unit of the Governing Classes, but to have crept in by stealth, as it
were, as the poor human mother humbly craving assistance; and
she ought to have kept her foot on the soft pedal throughout the
whole of the concerto.
Alas! the manner of Mother’s coming had been otherwise. And
the longer she remained, the less she ought to have said in order to
realize the estimate she had formed of her own wisdom—and when
the spouse of a great Proconsul is thinking imperially you can have
no idea how great that estimate is.
“Lord Shelmerdine empowers me to offer all reasonable
reparation.”
Grandmamma was interested to hear that in spite of the fact that
the whole matter was so purely academic.
“If there is any special form the young lady—I haven’t the
pleasure of the name of your niece, madam—would desire the
reparation to assume, Lord Shelmerdine’s solicitor will be happy to
call upon her to-morrow.”
“Oh, but Mater—I say—”
Slight display of Fortiter in order to cope with this unfilial
interruption.
“It is your father’s wish, Philip.”
The ears of Grandmamma had seemed to cock a little at the
mention of Lord Shelmerdine’s solicitor.
“Forgive me, madam, if I appear dense,” said the most perfect
elocution.
Underplay a bit, Peggy my dear, like Fanny does in genuine light
comedy, said the Distinguished Shade, smiling benevolently down
from the cornice.
But this was the goddaughter of Bean, which perhaps the Shade
had forgotten.
“You are talkin’ rot, aren’t you, Mater?” said the Braided Morning
Coat in vibrant tones.
 “It is your father’s wish, Phil-ipp. He desires that no injustice—If
thought desirable, reparation may assume a pecuniary—”
“You are talkin’ rot though, Mater, ain’t you?”
Incredible hardihood certainly on the part of the Braided Morning
Coat. But eminently honorable to that chequered garment, perhaps
the world is entitled to think.
Lady Macbeth was not looking so very amenable just now. A very
masterful old thing in her way, and had always been so. And really,
Mother was a little crude in places, wasn’t she?
Still, we are bound to do Mother the justice that she was not
aware of the fact. Indeed to her it seemed that the higher diplomacy
was really doing very well indeed. Everything so pleasant, so
agreeable; iron hand in velvet glove, but used so lightly that
Bohemian Circles were hardly conscious of its presence. Mother was
getting on famous in her own opinion, and she ought to have known.
Matrimony quite out of the question, of course, between the
granddaughter of Lady Macbeth and eldest son of the House. The
Governing Classes hoped that that had been made quite clear to the
wife of the Thane of Cawdor.
The Wife of the Thane appeared to think it had been.
“Of a pecuniary character, I think you said?” said the goddaughter
of Edward Bean.
“Yes, pecuniary; Lord Shelmerdine has no reason to think that
Phil-ipp has been so unwise as to enter into a formal engagement,
but it is his desire to be quite fair, even to be generous.”
Steady, Cavalry! whispered the Distinguished Shade in the ear of
Peggy.
“Or even generous, madam! One would be happy to have an
idea of the shape Lord Shelmerdine’s generosity might assume.”
The unhappy Braided Morning Coat regretted exceedingly that it
could not disclaim responsibility for both parents.
“But, Mater—!”
 “No, do not interrupt, dear Phil-ipp. This is all so important and so
delicate. Lord Shelmerdine thinks five hundred pounds—and I am
empowered—”
And then it was that Mother found Trouble.
Trouble came to Mother quite unexpected, like a bolt from the
blue—or like a shot out of a cannon, according to the subsequent
version of an eye-witness.
It would hardly be kind to describe the scene in detail. Lady
Macbeth, in spite of her eighty-four summers, made rather short
work of Mother. Not that Mother was overborne by Christian
meekness altogether. Assured Social Position, knowing itself to be
absolutely right, and acting all for the best, does not always offer the
other cheek with perfect facility.
Please do not misunderstand us. It was hardly a scene. The
proprieties were observed with really Victorian rigidity; it was all very
grande dame; but one being Lady Macbeth to John Peter Kendall,
and the other a leading Constitutional hostess who had recently
moved to Grosvenor Square, well—
Far from Mother’s intention to offer an affront to the
granddaughter of Lady Macbeth. But Miss Footlight of the Frivolity
had quite recently received the sum of ten thousand pounds from the
people of young Lord Footle, which sum was of course excessive, as
dear Justice Brusher had said to Mother at dinner last evening.
“Madam, I hold no opinion of Justice Brusher; Miss Footlight I
don’t know, and Lord Footle I don’t desire to know; but it is
impossible for my granddaughter, a member of an old theatrical
family, to pocket this insult.”
And Grandmamma rang the bell with tremendous dignity.
Jane the parlor-maid it was who appeared this time, looking all
the prettier for her afternoon out.
“Jane,” said the acknowledged Queen of Tragedy, “pray conduct
Lady Shelmerdine to her carriage—and in future I do not receive
her.”
 Poor old Mother! And in her new ermine tippet, too.
“Phil-ipp, accompany me.”
Philip accompanied Mother down the stairs, past the bust of
Bean in the front hall, down the nine steps of Number Ten Bedford
Gardens, and handed her into her carriage.
“We dine at eight this evening, Philip. Your father will expect you.”
“Impossible, Mater. Dinin’ at the Old Players’ Club.”
To give the Governing Classes their due, they certainly made exit
in pretty good style from Bohemia. As for Mr. Philip, he returned to
the front hall to retrieve his hat and his coat with the astrachan collar
and other belongings, and wondered if it would be wise to say good-
by to Grandmamma, and decided that perhaps he had better not risk
it. But before he could get into his famous garment, the Bad Girl of
the Family descended upon him from the basement—we are not
quite sure how she managed to do it, but simple little feats in
elementary acrobatics are always possible to a pantomime
performer—and haled the young man by main force into what she
called her Private Piggery, which in reality was a small back parlor of
sorts in an indescribable state of confusion.
Having brought the froward young man to this undesirable bourn,
the Bad Girl turned up the electric light, and then without any
warning proceeded to fall into a state that bordered upon tears and
general collapse.
The heir to the barony was not feeling so very amused just now,
though.
“My opinion you were listening, you cat.”
“Granny—the dreadful old spitfire!”
“Tactless of the Mater I’ll admit. Quite well meant though, Polly.”
“How dare you call me Polly after all that has happened!” And the
youngest member of the old theatrical family whisked away her tears
with a rather smart lace-broidered handkerchief, and looked almost
as fierce as the Cat in the moral drama of Dick Whittington.
 “Howlin’ blunder, I’ll admit; but you aren’t crabbed about it, are
you, old girl?”
“Please don’t admit anything, Mr. Shelmerdine—and how dare
you call me old girl after what has happened? Don’t let me have to
ring for Jane and not receive you in future—”
“So you were listening, you cat!”
“Wouldn’t you have been—Phil-ipp?”
“It is a horrid mix-up though, isn’t it? Look here, old girl, I really
think the best thing we can do is to go and get married to-morrow
mornin’ before the Registrar.”
Cinderella seemed to think, however, that such a proposal was
not in the plane of practical politics.
“I know, old girl, that a Church is considered a bit more
respectable; but I thought that the Registrar would be quicker and
easier.”
“You are rather taking it for granted, aren’t you, Philip, that I’m
going to marry you, when you know I’m not.”
“Well, I do think, Polly, after all that has happened—!”
But somehow Polly didn’t quite see it in that way. She couldn’t
think of such a thing without the consent of Granny. And even if
Granny did consent—which, of course, her consent would never be
given, his people would never give theirs, would they? so that even
that would not make their prospects any rosier.
“But I thought you were goin’ to be a pal to me, Polly!”
“So I am, Phil-ipp, but I mustn’t marry you, must I, against the
wishes of your People.”
It was hard for a young man of inexperience to know exactly how
much was meant by the Bad Girl of the Family when she was in this
kind of humor. But whatever doubts that were in his mind, he
suddenly laid hold of her quite firmly and kissed her quite soundly,
and, strictly between ourselves, you young bachelors of Cam and
Isis, that was just about the best thing he could have done in the
circumstances.
Nevertheless the young man was still involved pretty deeply in
the crisis of his fate. Bliss unspeakable was so nearly within his
grasp, and yet it was so elusive. He was not without the rudiments of
determination, and he had fully made up his mind that this was the
girl for him, but just now he really didn’t quite know how he was to
enter his kingdom.
Decidedly he must pluck this peach, and he must pluck it
immediately. But how?—that was the problem, with the Fates having
loaded the dice.
 CHAPTER XV
IN WHICH WE SIT AT THE FEET OF GAMALIEL

On the morrow, or about midnight that same day, to be precise,

when Arminius Wingrove came into the club after attending an
important première, the great man was engaged in conversation by
Mr. Philip while they dallied with devilled kidneys and other
comestibles.
“Minnie,” said the vain young fellow, “everybody says you are the
cleverest chap in London, so I want your advice.”
Rather cool, perhaps, to demand advice of the cleverest chap in
London in this point-blank manner, but Arminius, who kept a
generous heart beneath his waistcoat of white piquè, showed no
displeasure.
“If you mean about the girl you are making a fool of yourself
over,” said the great man, “don’t, is the advice I shall have to give
you.”
“Oh, but I’ve got beyond that already,” said the vain young fellow
with a rather grand simplicity.
“Have you, though?” said Arminius, pensive-like.
“Yes, I’m goin’ to marry her if she’ll have me, but the trouble is,
she won’t.”
“Won’t she, though!” said Arminius, looking rather like the
statuette of himself by Sir W. G-sc-mbe J-hn.
“No, she won’t, Minnie, and that’s all about it, until her old
grandmother gives her consent; and the old lady simply won’t hear of
it.”
“Who is her old grandmother?” inquired Arminius, “and why won’t
she?”
 “Her grandmother is Mrs. Cathcart, who played Lady Macbeth
with David Garrick, and she’s taken a prejudice against me because
I’m the son of a peer.”
The manner of Arminius seemed to imply that old Mrs. Cathcart
had been guilty of a very unfeminine proceeding. But being a disciple
of Talleyrand, the great man did not clothe his thoughts with words.
“And to make matters worse, Minnie, there was a simply frightful
turn-up between her grandmother and my Mater yesterday
afternoon.”
With the flair of a playwright whom Hannibal had himself
approved, Arminius Wingrove asked for further information.
“Simply gorgeous, Minnie, for a chap who hadn’t to be in it.
Wouldn’t have missed it for worlds—except that I kind of wasn’t in a
position to enjoy it, was I? But it hasn’t half crabbed the piece!
Tragedy Queen ordered Mater out of the house, and says she shan’t
receive her in future. So it’s all up with my people, and I’m afraid it’s
all up with hers; and the girl isn’t going to marry me without the
consent of all parties.”
The statement of the vain young fellow seemed both florid and
ingenuous to Arminius Wingrove, who had hardly been so much
amused by anything since the revival of The Importance of Being
Earnest.
“And so you don’t think she’ll marry you, do you, my son?”
Arminius Wingrove had not a mercenary nature, but he wouldn’t
mind laying a “pony” on the event. The heart of the heir to the barony
gave a bound.
“Why, what reason have you to think so, Minnie?” he said in a
voice of tense emotion.
“Because there’s not half a reason why she shouldn’t, my lad.”
“But she is simply devoted to her old grandmother.”
“The old lady has all her faculties, I presume?”
“My Mater thinks so, anyway.”
Welcome to our website – the ideal destination for book lovers and
knowledge seekers. With a mission to inspire endlessly, we offer a
vast collection of books, ranging from classic literary works to
specialized publications, self-development books, and children's
literature. Each book is a new journey of discovery, expanding
knowledge and enriching the soul of the reade

Our website is not just a platform for buying books, but a bridge
connecting readers to the timeless values of culture and wisdom. With
an elegant, user-friendly interface and an intelligent search system,
we are committed to providing a quick and convenient shopping
experience. Additionally, our special promotions and home delivery
services ensure that you save time and fully enjoy the joy of reading.

Let us accompany you on the journey of exploring knowledge and

personal growth!

ebookname.com