Well! I can only hope to God you'll come to your senses
before you commit the folly of this speech. I must get back to the
War Office. Good-night, Hubert.

HUBERT. Good-night, Father.

[SIR JOHN goes out. HUBERT stands motionless, dejected.]

HUBERT. We've got our orders.

MORE. What? When d'you sail?

HUBERT. At once.

MORE. Poor Helen!

HUBERT. Not married a year; pretty bad luck! [MORE touches his arm
in sympathy] Well! We've got to put feelings in our pockets. Look
here, Stephen--don't make that speech! Think of Katherine--with the
Dad at the War Office, and me going out, and Ralph and old George out
there already! You can't trust your tongue when you're hot about a
thing.

MORE. I must speak, Hubert.

HUBERT. No, no! Bottle yourself up for to-night. The next few
hours 'll see it begin. [MORE turns from him] If you don't care
whether you mess up your own career--don't tear Katherine in two!

MORE. You're not shirking your duty because of your wife.

HUBERT. Well! You're riding for a fall, and a godless mucker it'll
be. This'll be no picnic. We shall get some nasty knocks out there.
Wait and see the feeling here when we've had a force or two cut up in
those mountains. It's awful country. Those fellows have got modern
arms, and are jolly good fighters. Do drop it, Stephen!

MORE. Must risk something, sometimes, Hubert--even in my profession!

[As he speaks, KATHERINE comes in.]

HUBERT. But it's hopeless, my dear chap--absolutely.

[MORE turns to the window, HUBERT to his sister--then with a
gesture towards MORE, as though to leave the matter to her, he
goes out.]

KATHERINE. Stephen! Are you really going to speak? [He nods] I ask
you not.

MORE. You know my feeling.

KATHERINE. But it's our own country. We can't stand apart from it.
You won't stop anything--only make people hate you. I can't bear
that.

MORE. I tell you, Kit, some one must raise a voice. Two or three
reverses--certain to come--and the whole country will go wild. And
one more little nation will cease to live.

KATHERINE. If you believe in your country, you must believe that the
more land and power she has, the better for the world.

MORE. Is that your faith?

KATHERINE. Yes.

MORE. I respect it; I even understand it; but--I can't hold it.

KATHERINE. But, Stephen, your speech will be a rallying cry to all
the cranks, and every one who has a spite