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By joining hands I really believe we are going to accomplish something for England." Crondall looked round the table at the faces of his friends. "We are all agreed, I know, that the present danger is the danger Kipling tried to warn us about years and years ago." "'Lest we forget!" quoted Sir Herbert quietly. "Exactly.
Accordingly, having turned to close the door, with deliberation, I advanced into the room with some awkward remark about having thought my chief was alone, and produced my figures of the enrolment of new members. After a few moments Constance left us, referring to some errand she had in view. I did not look at her, and John Crondall plunged at once into working talk.
I know now that the speed and strenuousness of it was telling upon all of us. But we did not realize it then. John Crondall seemed positively tireless. The rest of us had our moments of exhaustion, but never, I think, of depression. Our work was too finely productive and too richly rewarded for that. But we were thin, and a little fine-drawn, like athletes somewhat overtrained.
It seemed her aunt, a sister of her father's, had accompanied her to England, and she said: "I promised my aunt, Mrs. Van Homrey, that I would induce you to spare us an evening soon. She loves meeting friends of John Crondall. We dine at eight, but would fix any other hour if it suited you better."
During all this time, John Crondall was working night and day, and I was busy with him in organizing the recruiting campaign of The Citizens.
"This is the pivot of the whole business, that duty question," interposed Crondall. "It was your handling of that on Tuesday that burdened you with my acquaintance. I listened to that, and I said, 'Mr. George Stairs and you have got to meet, John Crondall! But I didn't mean to interrupt."
Stairs, I grew up on the veld," she said. "Ah, to be sure; I suppose one is as close to the earth and the realities there as in Canada." "Quite," said Crondall. "And, anyhow, we are not doing any apologies to-day; so please go ahead."
"And then?" said Constance, leaning forward, her face illumined by her shining eyes. Crondall drew a long breath. "And then then Britain will have something to say to the Kaiser." As we rose from the table, George Stairs laid his hand on Reynolds's shoulder. "Deep waters these, my friend," said he, "for simple parsons from the backwoods. But our part is plain, and close at hand.
"I am not asking you to introduce a single new word or thought into it for my sake." "That's so," said Reynolds, his eye upon Stairs. "Quite so, quite so," said Stairs. "And, of course, I am with you in all you hope for; but you know, Crondall, religion is perhaps a rather different matter to a parson from what it is to you. Forgive me if I put it clumsily, but "
As he said that, I had a swift vision of myself and my record, as both must have appeared to a man like Crondall, whose whole life had been spent in patriotic effort. The vision was a good corrective for the unworthy shafts of jealousy for that no doubt they were which had come to me with John Crondall's references to Constance.
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