y were to stay.

"No, I don't think so. He seemed to think it was rather fine of the
Ulstermen to do it. You see, it's put the Government in a hole, and that
pleases him. He was very mysterious in his talk, and full of hints!..."

"Are they going to run guns, too?" Gilbert asked.

"I shouldn't be surprised," said Henry. "One of these days a gun'll go
off, and then they'll stop playing the fool, I suppose!"

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 3: Transcriber's note: No footnote text was found for this
footnote marker.]

THE THIRD CHAPTER

1

"Roger's getting all his facts in fine trim for the book on a National
Army," Gilbert said after lunch. "The thing's been much bigger than any
of us imagined, but Roger's a sticker, and he's got a lot done!"

"I'd nearly forgotten about that business," Henry replied.

"Roger hasn't forgotten. He's been spending a great deal of time in
Bermondsey lately, and I shouldn't be surprised if the local Tories
adopt him as their candidate at the next election. I don't suppose he'll
get in. It'll be a pity if he doesn't. Rachel's making it easier for
him. Roger says she's popular with the girls in the jam factories ...
and of course that's very useful. You see, Rachel tells the girls to
tell their mothers to tell their fathers to vote for Roger when the time
comes, and the fathers'll have to do it or they'll get a hell of a time
from their women. I can tell you, Quinny, Rachel knows what's what.
She's going to ask some of the jam-girls out to tea and show them the
baby!..."

"Good old British Slop, Gilbert! Do you remember how we swore that we
would never have anything to do with Slop?..."

"We've had a lot to do with it. Roger was right. The Slop is there and
you've got to make allowances for it, and after all, why shouldn't
Rachel show her baby to the girls? Damn it all, a baby is a remarkable
thing, when you come to think of it. All that wriggle and bubble and
squeak and kick ... and Lord only knows what'll come out of it! We
ought to get married, Quinny, and father a few brats. My own notion is
to get hold of a nice, large, healthy female of the working-class and
set her up in a very ugly house in a very ugly suburb, near a municipal
park, and give her three pounds a week for herself, and an allowance for
every child she produces. I could have all the pride and pleasure of
parenthood without the boredom and nuisance of being a husband, and the
youngsters would probably be young gi