et to kill the goose, they possess plenty of power to frighten it
away to foreign shores, where it can build its nest a bit more
hopefully than here. Many, who scent repudiation and appropriation, are
flying already. Capital is diminishing, and there seems a fair chance of
labour being over-coddled, at the expense of capital, when the Liberals
come in again. If that happens, labour is weakened as well as capital.
But both are essential to the power and well-being of the State. If we
ever had another war, which God forbid, labour and capital would have to
sink all differences and go to battle together unless we meant to be
defeated. Both are vital to our salvation."

"Then give labour an interest in the blessing of capital," she said.
"Open labour's eyes to the vital values of capital--its strength as well
as weakness. Let the units of labour share the interests of their
employers and each become a capitalist in their own right. What does it
matter where the capital is as long as the nation has got it safe? You
might make England a thousand times richer if all those in the country,
who want to save money, had the power to save."

"How can we? There's not enough to go round," he told her. But she
declared that no argument.

"Then create conditions under which there might be much more. Let the
workers be owners, too. If the owners only took their ownership in a
different spirit and felt no man is more than a trustee for all--if they
were like you, Ray, who are a worker and an owner both, what great
things might happen! Make all industry co-operation, in reality as well
as theory, and a real democracy must come out of it. It's bound to
come."

"Well, I suppose nothing can help it coming. We are great on free
institutions in this country and they get freer every year."

So they argued, much at one in heart, and an impartial listener had felt
that it was within the power of the woman's intelligence and the man's
energy and common sense, to help the world as far as individuals can,
did chance and the outcome of their union afford them opportunity.

But Estelle knew that good ideas were of little value in themselves.
Seed is of no account if the earth on which it falls be poisoned, and a
good idea above all, needs good will to welcome it. Good will to the
inspirations of man is as sunshine, rain, sweet soil to the seed;
without good will all thinking must perish, or at best lie dormant. She
wondered how much of good seed