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support for my party. Lubin Your party, eh? The newspaper party? Burge The Liberal Party. The party of which I have the honor to be leader. Lubin Have you now? That’s very interesting; for I thought I was the leader of the Liberal Party. However, it is very kind of you to take it off my hands, if the party will let you. Burge Do you suggest that I have not the support and confidence of the party? Lubin I don’t suggest anything, my dear Burge. Mr. Barnabas will tell you that we all think very highly of you. The country owes you a great deal. During the war, you did very creditably over the munitions; and if you were not quite so successful with the peace, nobody doubted that you meant well. Burge Very kind of you, Lubin. Let me remark that you cannot lead a progressive party without getting a move on. Lubin You mean you cannot. I did it for ten years without the least difficulty. And very comfortable, prosperous, pleasant years they were. Burge Yes; but what did they end in? Lubin In you, Burge. You don’t complain of that, do you? Burge Fiercely. In plague, pestilence, and famine; battle, murder, and sudden death. Lubin With an appreciative chuckle. The Nonconformist can quote the prayerbook for his own purposes, I see. How you enjoyed yourself over that business, Burge! Do you remember the Knockout Blow? Burge It came off: don’t forget that. Do you remember fighting to the last drop of your blood? Lubin Unruffled, to Franklyn. By the way, I remember your brother Conrad⁠—a wonderful brain and a dear good fellow⁠—explaining to me that I couldn’t fight to the last drop of my blood, because I should be dead long before I came to it. Most interesting, and quite true. He was introduced to me at a meeting where the suffragettes kept disturbing me. They had to be carried out kicking and making a horrid disturbance. Conrad No: it was later, at a meeting to support the Franchise Bill which gave them the vote. Lubin Discovering Conrad’s presence for the first time. You’re right: it was. I knew it had something to do with women. My memory never deceives me. Thank you. Will you introduce me to this gentleman, Barnabas? Conrad Not at all affably. I am the Conrad in question. He sits down in dudgeon on the vacant Chippendale. Lubin Are you? Looking at him pleasantly. Yes: of course you are. I never forget a face. But with an arch turn of his eyes to Savvy your pretty niece engaged all my powers of vision. Burge I wish youd be serious, Lubin. God knows we have passed through times terrible enough to make any man serious. Lubin I do not think I need to be reminded of that. In peace time I used to keep myself fresh for my work by banishing all worldly considerations from my mind on Sundays; but war has no respect for the Sabbath; and there have been Sundays within the last few years on which I have had to play as many as sixty-six games of bridge to keep my mind off the news from the front. Burge Scandalized. Sixty-six games of bridge on Sunday!!! Lubin You probably sang sixty-six hymns. But as I cannot boast either your admirable voice or your spiritual fervor, I had to fall back on bridge. Franklyn If I may go back to the subject of your visit, it seems to me that you may both be completely superseded by the Labor Party. Burge But I am in the truest sense myself a Labor leader. I⁠—He stops, as Lubin has risen with a half-suppressed yawn, and is already talking calmly, but without a pretence of interest. Lubin The Labor Party! Oh no, Mr. Barnabas. No, no, no, no, no. He moves in Savvy’s direction. There will be no trouble about that. Of course we must give them a few seats: more, I quite admit, than we should have dreamt of leaving to them before the war; but⁠—By this time he has reached the sofa where Savvy and Haslam are seated. He sits down between them; takes her hand; and drops the subject of Labor. Well, my dear young lady? What is the latest news? What’s going on? Have you seen Shoddy’s new play? Tell me all about it, and all about the latest books, and all about everything. Savvy You have not met Mr. Haslam. Our Rector. Lubin Who has quite overlooked Haslam. Never heard of him. Is he any good? Franklyn I was introducing him. This is Mr. Haslam. Haslam How d’ye do? Lubin I beg your pardon, Mr. Haslam. Delighted to meet you. To Savvy. Well, now, how many books have you written? Savvy Rather overwhelmed but attracted. None. I don’t write. Lubin You don’t say so; Well, what do you do? Music? Skirt-dancing? Savvy I don’t do anything. Lubin Thank God! You and I were born for one another. Who is your favorite poet, Sally? Savvy Savvy. Lubin Savvy! I never heard of him. Tell me all about him. Keep me up to date. Savvy It’s not a poet. I am Savvy, not Sally. Lubin Savvy! That’s a funny name, and very pretty. Savvy. It sounds Chinese. What does it mean? Conrad Short for Savage. Lubin Patting her hand. La belle Sauvage. Haslam Rising and surrendering Savvy to Lubin by crossing to the fireplace. I suppose the Church is out of it as far as progressive politics are concerned. Burge Nonsense! That notion about the Church being unprogressive is one of those shibboleths that our party must drop. The Church is all right essentially. Get rid of the establishment; get rid of the bishops; get rid of the candlesticks; get rid of the 39 articles; and the Church of England is just as good as any other Church; and I don’t care who hears me say so. Lubin It doesn’t matter a bit who hears you say so, my dear Burge. To