winter because it was somewhat easier to keep warm
than the other one. In the main drawing-room the honorary secretary
camped himself at a desk near the fireplace.

When the clock struck, G.J., one of whose monastic weaknesses was a
ritualistic regard for punctuality, was in his place at the head of
the table, and the table well filled with members, for the honorary
secretary's harmless foible was known and admitted. The table and the
chairs, the scraping of the chair-legs on the bare floor, the agenda
papers and the ornamentation thereof by absent-minded pens, were the
same as in the committee's youth. But the personnel of the committee
had greatly changed, and it was enlarged--as its scope had been
enlarged. The two Lechford hospitals behind the French lines were
now only a part of the committee's responsibilities. It had a special
hospital in Paris, two convalescent homes in England, and an important
medical unit somewhere in Italy. Finance was becoming its chief
anxiety, for the reason that, though soldiers had not abandoned
in disgust the practice of being wounded, philanthropists were
unquestionably showing signs of fatigue. It had collected money by
postal appeals, by advertisements, by selling flags, by competing with
drapers' shops, by intimidation, by ruse and guile, and by all the
other recognised methods. Of late it had depended largely upon the
very wealthy, and, to a less extent, upon G.J., who having gradually
constituted the committee his hobby, had contributed some thousands
of pounds from his share of the magic profits of the Reveille Company.
Everybody was aware of the immense importance of G.J.'s help. G.J.
never showed it in his demeanour, but the others continually showed
it in theirs. He had acquired authority. He had also acquired the sure
manner of one accustomed to preside.

"Before we begin on the agenda," he said--and as he spoke a late
member crept apologetically in and tiptoed to the heavily charged
hat-pegs--"I would like to mention about Miss Trewas. Some of you know
that through an admirable but somewhat disordered sense of patriotism
she has left us at a moment's notice. I am glad to say that my friend
Mrs. Carlos Smith, who, I may tell you, has had a very considerable
experience of organisation, has very kindly agreed, subject of course
to the approval of the committee, to step temporarily into the breach.
She will be an honorary worker, like all of us here, and I am sure
that the co