AgainSimmonstookthefloor。“AsIwassayin’，Mr。Mayor——“
Criesof“Order！Order！Sitdown！“
“——Mr。Mayor，IbelieveI’avethefloor？“
“Yes，youhave。Goon。Butyoumustnotinsult。“
“(H)Insult？DidI(h)insultanybody？Idon’tknowwhatMr。McGinnismadefrom’isshells。Ionlysaidthatif——you(h)understand——if’emademorethaneoughtto，’eisarobber。Andsincethepriceofourfreedomwaspaidinblood，if’emademorethanwasfair，’e’sabloodrobber。“
Againthecriesarose。“Throwhimout！“Oncemorethemayorrose。
“Youmustnotmakeinsinuations，sir，“hecriedangrily。“Youmustnotmakeinsinuationsagainstrespectablecitizens。“
“(H)Insinooations，“criedSimmons。“No，sir，Inevermakeno(h)insinooations。IfIknewthat(h)anyman’ere’admade(h)unfairprofitsIwouldn’tmakeno(h)insinooations。Iwouldcharge’imright’erewithbloodrobbery。Andletmesay，“shoutedSimmons，takingastepintotheaisle，“thatthetimemaycomewhentheworkingmenofthiscountrywillmakethesecharges，andwill(h)askthepeoplewhokeptthe’’omefiresburning’——“
Yellsofderisivelaughter。
“——whatprofitscametothemfromthesesame’omefires。Thepeoplewill(h)askforan(h)explanationofthesebankaccounts，ofthesenewfactories，ofthesebigstores，ofthese(h)autermobiles。
Thepeoplethatwenttothewarandwere(h)unfortoonateenoughtoreturncamebacktopoverty，whilemanyofthese’ere’omefireburnerscame(h)outwithfortunes。“AtthispointbrotherSimmonscastafierceandbalefuleyeuponagroupoftheemployerswhosatsilentandwrathfulbeforehim。“Andnow，whatIsay，“continuedBrotherSimmons——
Atthispointaquietvoicewasheard。
“Mr。Mayor，Irisetoapointoforder。“
ImmediatelySimmonstookhisseat。
“Mr。Farrington，“saidthemayor，recognisingoneofthelargestbuildingcontractorsinthetown。
“Mr。Mayor，Ishouldliketoaskwhatarewediscussingthisafternoon？ArewediscussingthewarrecordsofthecitizensofBlackwater？Ifso，thatisnotwhatIcamefor。Itmaybeinterestingtofindoutwhateachmandidinthewar。Ifindthatthosewhodidmostsayleast。Idon’tknowwhatMr。Simmonsdidinthewar。Isupposehewasthere。“
WithonespringSimmonswasonhisfeetandintheaisle。Herippedoffcoatandvest，pulledhisshirtoverhisheadandrevealedabackcoveredwiththenetworkofghastlyscars。“Thegentleman(h)asks，“hepanted，“whatIdoneinthewar。Idon’tknow。IcannotsaywhatIdoneinthewar，butthatiswhatthewardonetome。“Theeffectwaspositivelyoverwhelming。
Adeadlysilencegrippedtheaudienceforasinglemoment。Thenuponeveryhandrosefierceyells，oathsandstrangecries。AbovetheuproarcameFarrington’sboomingvoice。Leavinghisseat，whichwasnearthebackofthehall，hecameforward，cryingout:
“Mr。Mayor！Mr。Mayor！Idemandattention！“AshereachedSimmons’sside，hepausedand，facingabout，helookeduponthearrayoffacespaleandtensewithpassion。“Iwanttoapologisetothisgentleman，“hesaidinavoicebreakingwithemotion。“I
shouldnothavesaidwhatIdid。ThemanwhobearsthesescarsisamanIamproudtoknow。“HeturnedswiftlytowardSimmonswithoutstretchedhand。“Iamproudtoknowyou，sir。Icouldnotgotothewar。Iwaspastage。Isentmytwoboys。Theyareovertherestill。“Asthetwomenshookhands，foronceinhislifeSimmonswasspeechless。Hisfacewassuffusedwithuncontrollablefeeling。Oneverysidewereseenmen，strongmen，withtearsstreamingdowntheirfaces。Anoblerspiritseemedtofalluponthemall。Inthesilencethatfollowed，Mr。Maitlandrose。
“Mr。Mayor，“hesaidquietly，“wehaveallsufferedtogetherinthiswar。I，forone，wanttodothefairthingbyourmen。Letusmeetthemandtalkthingsoverbeforeanyfair-mindedcommittee。
Surelywewhohavesufferedtogetherinwarcanworktogetherinpeace。“Itwasanobleappeal，andmetwithanobleresponse。Onallsidesandfromallpartiesastormofcheersbrokeforth。
ThentheReverendMurdoMathesonrosetohisfeet。“Mr。Mayor，“hesaid，“IconfessIwasnothopefuloftheresultofthismeeting。
ButIamsureweallrecognisethepresenceandinfluenceofamightierSpiritthanours。FromtheoutsetIhavebeenconvincedthattheproblemsintheindustrialsituationherearenotbeyondsolution，andshouldyieldtofairandreasonableconsideration。I
venturetomovethatacommitteeoffivebeappointed，twotobechosenbyeachofthepartiesinthisdispute，whowouldinturnchooseachairman；thatthiscommitteemeetwithrepresentativesofbothparties；andthattheirdecisioninallcasesbefinal。“
Mr。Farringtonroseandheartilysecondedthemotion。
AtthispointJack，whowassittingneartheplatformandwhoseeyeswerewanderingovertheaudience，wasstartledbythelookonthefaceofMcNish。Itwasalookinwhichmingledfear，anxiety，wrath。HeseemedtobeonthepointofstartingtohisfeetwhenMcGinnisbrokein:
“DoIunderstandthatthedecisionofthiscommitteeistobefinaloneverypoint？“
“Certainly，“saidtheReverendMurdo。“Thereisnootherwaybywhichwecanarriveatadecision。“
“Doyoumean，“criedMcGinnis，“thatifthiscommitteesaysImusthireonlyunionmeninmyfoundrythatImustdoso？“
“Iwouldreply，“saidtheReverendMurdo，“thatwemusttrustthiscommitteetoactinafairandreasonableway。“
ButMr。McGinniswasnotsatisfiedwiththisanswer。
“Iwanttoknow，“hecriedingrowinganger，“IwanttoknowexactlywhereweareandIwantadefiniteanswer。Willthiscommitteehavetherighttoforcemetoemployonlyunionmen？“
“Mr。Mayor，“repliedtheReverendMurdo，“Mr。McGinnisisrightinaskingfordefiniteness。Myansweristhatwemusttrustthiscommitteetodowhatiswiseandreasonable，andwemustaccepttheirdecisionasfinalineverycase。“
ThereuponMcGinnisroseandexpressedanearnestdesireforatragicandunhappyandage-longfateifhewouldconsenttoanysuchproposition。Withterribleswiftnessthespiritofthemeetingwaschanged。Themomentofloftyemotionandnobleimpulsepassed。Theopportunityforreasonandfairplaytodeterminetheissuewaslost，andtheoldevilspiritofsuspicionandhatefellupontheaudiencelikeapall。
AtthispointMcNish，fromwhosefaceallanxietyhaddisappeared，roseandsaid:
“Formypart，andspeakingfortheworkingmenofthistown，Iamreadytoaccepttheproposalthathasbeenmade。Wehavenofearforthejusticeofourdemandslikesomemenherepresent。Weknowwehavetherightonoursideandwearewillingtoacceptthejudgmentofsuchacommitteeashasbeenproposed。“Thewordswerefairenough，butthetoneofsneeringcontemptwassoirritatingthatimmediatelythepositionassumedbyMcGinnisreceivedsupportfromhisfellowemployersoneveryhand。Oncemoreuproarensued。
Themayor，inastateofangryexcitement，soughtinvaintorestoreorder。
AftersomeminutesofheatedaltercationwithMr。McGinnis，whomhethreatenedwithexpulsionfromthemeeting，themayorfinallyleftthechairandthemeetingbrokeupindisorderwhichthreatenedtodegenerateintoaseriesofpersonalencounters。
AgainMcNishtookcommand。Leapinguponachair，withaloudvoicewhichcaughtatoncetheearsofhisfollowing，heannouncedthatameetingwastobeheldimmediatelyintheunionrooms，andheadded:“Whenthesemenherewantusagain，theyknowwheretofindus。“Hewasansweredwitharoarofapproval，andwithanuglysmileonhisfaceheledhispeopleintriumphfromthehall，leavingbehindthemayor，stillengagedinaheatedargumentwithMcGinnisandcertainemployerswhosympathisedwiththeIrishman’sopinions。Thusthestrikepassedintoanotherandmoredangerousphase。
OntheRectorylawnahard-foughtgamehadjustfinished，bringingtoaconclusionalengthenedseriesofcontestswhichhadextendedoverawholeweek，inwhichseriesPatricia，withherdevotedcavalier，VictorForsythe，hadbeenforcedtoacceptdefeatatthehandsofhersisterandherpartner，HughMaynard。
“Partner，youwerewonderfulinthatlastset！“saidPatricia，astheymovedofftogethertooffertheircongratulationstotheirconquerors。
“Patsy，“saidherpartner，inalowvoice，“asever，youaresuperbindefeatasinvictory。Superb，unapproachable，wonderful。“
“Anythingelse，Vic？“inquiredPatsy，grinningattheyouth。
“Oh，awholelotmore，Pat，ifyouonlygivemeachancetotellyou。“
“Notimejustnow，“criedPatriciaasshereachedtheothers。
“Well，youtwodeservedtowin。Youplayedrippingtennis，“shecontinued，offeringHughherhand。
“Sodidyou，Pat。Youwereattheverytopofyourform。“
“Well，someotherday，“saidVic。“Ithinkweareimprovingabit，partner。Alittlemorecloseharmonywilldothetrick。“
“Comeaway，children，“saidMrs。Templeton，callingtothemfromtheshadeatthesideofthecourts。“Youmustbeverytiredanddoneout。Why，howhotyoulook，Patricia。“
“Stunning，Ishouldsay！“murmuredVic，lookingatherwithadoringeyes。
Andatrulywonderfulpicturethegirlmade，inherdaintymuslinfrock，herboldredhairtossedinasplendidaureoleaboutherface。Care-free，heart-free，assheflashedfromherheartyblueeyeshersaucyandbewitchingglancesatherpartner’sface，hermothersighed，thinkingthatherbabygirlwasswiftlyslippingawayfromherandforeverintothatwiderworldofwomanhoodwhereotherswouldclaimher。
Inlovelycontraststoodhersister，dressedinflannelskirtandsweaterofoldgoldsilk，fair，tall，beautiful，adelicategraceineverylineofherbodyandaproud，yetgentlestrengthineveryfeatureofherface。Theredweltinherdeepblueeyesalookofhidden，mysteriouspowerwhichhadwroughtinhermotheracertainfearofhereldestdaughter。ThemotherneverquiteknewwhattoexpectfromAdrien。Yet，forall，shecarriedanassuredconfidencethatwhatevershemightdo，herdaughterneverwouldshamethehightraditionsofherrace。
ThelongshadowsfromthetallelmslayacrossthevelvetswardoftheRectorylawn。TheheatoftheearlyJunedayhadgivenplacetothecoolairoftheevening。Theexquisitelydelicatecolouringfromthesettingsunfloodedtheskyoverheadanddeepenedintobluesandpurplesbehindtheelmsandthechurchspire。Adeeppeacehadfallenupontheworldexceptthatfromthetopmostboughofthetallestelmtreearobinsang，pouringhisveryheartoutinasongofjoyousoptimism。
Thelittlegroup，disposeduponthelawnaccordingtotheirvariousdesires，stoodandsatlookingupatthebravelittlesongster。
“Howhappyheis，“saidMrs。Templeton，awistfulcadenceofsadnessinhervoice。
“Iwonderifheis，Mamma。Perhapsheisonlypretending，“saidAdrien。
“Cheerio，oldchap！“criedVic，wavinghishandatthegallantlittlesongster。“Youarearegulargrouchkiller。“
“Hehasnotroubles，“saidMrs。Templeton，withasigh。
“Iwonder，Mamma。Orishejustbluffingusall？“
“Hehasnostrike，atanyrate，toworryhim，“saidPatricia，“and，bytheway，whatisthenewsto-day？Doesanybodyknow？Isthereanychange？“
“Oh，“criedVic，“therehasbeenamostexcitingmorningattheE。D。C——theEmployers’DefenceCommittee，“heexplained，inanswertoMrs。Templeton’smystifiedlook。
“Dogoon！“criedPatriciaimpatiently。“Wasthereafight？Theyarealwayshavingone。“
“Ofcoursetherewastheusualmorningscrap，butwithavariationto-dayofadeputationfromthebrethrenoftheMinisterialAssociation。But，ofcourse，Mrs。Templeton，theDoctormusthavetoldyoualready。“
“Ihardlyeverseehimthesedays。Heisdreadfullyoccupied。
Thereissomuchtrouble，sicknessandthatsortofthing。Oh，itisallterriblysad。TheDoctorisalmostwornout。“
“Hemadeawonderfulspeechtothemagnates，mygovernorsays。“
“Oh，goon，Vic！“criedPatricia。“Whydoyoustop？Youaresodeliberate。“
“Iwasthinkingofthatspeech，“repliedVictormorequietlythanwashiswont。“Itcameatamostdramaticmoment。Thegovernorwasquiteworkedupoveritandgavemeafullaccount。Theyhadjustgotalltheirreportsin——’allsafealongthePotomac’——nobreakinthefrontline——BuildingIndustriesslightlyshakyduetoworkingmen’sgroupstakingonsmallcontracts，whichexcitedgreatwrathandwhichMcGinnisdeclaredmustbestopped。“
“Howcantheystopthem？Thisisafreecountry，“saidAdrien。
“Aha！“criedVictor。“LittleyouknowoftheresourcesoftheE。D。C。Itisproposedthatthesupplydealersshouldrefusesuppliestoallbuildersuntilthestrikeissettled。Nomorelumber，lime，cement，etc。，etc。“
“Boycott，eh？Icallthatprettyrotten，“saidAdrien。
“Themajoritywereprettymuchforit，however，exceptMaitlandandmygovernor，theyprotestingthatthisboycottwashardlyplayingthegame。YourfriendCaptainJackcameinforhislicks，“
continuedVic，turningtoPatricia。“Itappearshehasbeenemployingstrikersinsomeworkorother，whichsomeofthebrethrenconsideredtobenotaccordingtoHoyle。“
