; you know what measure of success this
Company has attained. I am the oldest man here, and my experience of
shipping is, I hope, a little greater than that of the two gentlemen who
spoke last. I have done my best for you, ladies and gentlemen, and we
shall see whether you are going to endorse an indictment of my judgment
and of my honour, if I am to take the last speaker seriously. This
purchase is for your good. 'There is a tide in the affairs of men'--and
I for one am not content, never have been, to stagnate. If that is what
you want, however, by all means give your support to these gentlemen and
have done with it. I tell you freights will go up before the end of the
year; the purchase is a sound one, more than a sound one--I, at any rate,
stand or fall by it. Refuse to ratify it, if you like; if you do, I
shall resign."

He sank back into his seat. The secretary, stealing a glance, thought
with a sort of enthusiasm: 'Bravo! Who'd have thought he could rally his
voice like that? A good touch, too, that about his honour! I believe
he's knocked them.

It's still dicky, though, if that fellow at the back gets up again; the
old chap can't work that stop a second time. 'Ah! here was 'old
Apple-pie' on his hind legs. That was all right!

"I do not hesitate to say that I am an old friend of the chairman; we
are, many of us, old friends of the chairman, and it has been painful to
me, and I doubt not to others, to hear an attack made on him. If he is
old in body, he is young in mental vigour and courage. I wish we were
all as young. We ought to stand by him; I say, we ought to stand by
him." ("Hear, hear! Hear, hear!") And the secretary thought: 'That's
done it!' And he felt a sudden odd emotion, watching the chairman bobbing
his body, like a wooden toy, at old Appleby; and old Appleby bobbing
back. Then, seeing a shareholder close to the door get up, thought:
'Who's that? I know his face--Ah! yes; Ventnor, the solicitor--he's one
of the chairman's creditors that are coming again this afternoon. What
now?'

"I can't agree that we ought to let sentiment interfere with our judgment
in this matter. The question is simply: How are our pockets going to be
affected? I came here with some misgivings, but the attitude of the
chairman has been such as to remove them; and I shall support the
proposition." The secretary thought: 'That's all right--only, he said it
rather queerly--rather queerly.'

Then, af