Part 8 (1/2)
When Mr. Waddington judged the moment propitious he began. ”While I was up in London I had the pleasure of lunching with Sir Maurice Gedge. He wants me to start a branch of the National League of Liberty here.”
”Liberty? Shouldn't have thought that was much in your line. Didn't expect to see you waving the red flag, what? Why didn't you put him on to our friend Grainger?”
”My dear Corbett, what are you thinking of? The object of the League is to put down all that sort of thing--Socialism--Bolshevism--to rouse the whole country and get it to stand solid for order and good government.”
”H'm. Is it? Queer sort of t.i.tle for a thing of that sort--League of Liberty, what?”
Mr. Waddington raised a clenched fist. Already in spirit he was on his platform. ”Exactly the t.i.tle that's needed. The people want liberty, always have wanted it. We'll let 'em have it. True liberty. British liberty. I tell you, Corbett, we're out against the tyranny of Labour minorities. You and I and every man that's got any standing and any influence, we've got to see to it that we don't have a revolution and Communism and a Soviet Government here.”
”Come, you don't think the Bols.h.i.+es are as strong as all that, do you?”
Mr. Waddington brought his fist down on the arm of his chair. ”I _know_ they are,” he said. ”And look here--if they get the upper hand, it's the great capitalists, the great property holders, the great _land_owners like you and me, Corbett, who'll be the first to suffer.... Why, we're suffering as it is, here in Wyck, with just the little that fellow Grainger can do. The time'll come, mark my words, when we shan't be able to get a single labourer to work for us for a fair wage. They'll bleed us white, Corbett, before they've done with us, if we don't make a stand, and make it now.
”That's what the League's for, to set up a standard, something we can point to and say: These are the principles we stand for. Something you can rally the whole country round. We shall want your support--”
”I shall be very glad--anything I can do--”
Mr. Waddington was a little disturbed by this ready acquiescence.
”Mind you, it isn't going to end here, in Wyck. I shall start it in Wyck first; then I shall take it straight to the big towns, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Nailsworth, Stroud. We'll set 'em going till we've got a branch in every town and every village in the county.”
He thought: ”That ought to settle him.” He had created a vision of intolerable activity.
”Bless me,” said Sir John, ”you've got your work cut out for you.”
”Of course I shall have to get a local committee first. I can't take a step like that without consulting you.”
Sir John muttered something that sounded like ”Very good of you, I'm sure.”
”No more than my duty to the League. Now, the point is, Sir Maurice was anxious that _I_ should be president of this local branch. It needs somebody with energy and determination--the president's work, certainly, will be cut out for him--and I feel very strongly, and I think that my Committee will feel that _you_, Corbett, are the proper person.”
”H'm--m.”
”I didn't think I should be justified in going further without first obtaining your consent.”
”We-ell--”
Mr. Waddington's anxiety was almost unbearable. The programme had evidently appealed to Sir John. Supposing, after all, he accepted?
”I wouldn't ask you to undertake anything so--so arduous, but that it'll strengthen my hands with my Committee; in fact, I may get a much stronger and more influential Committee if I can come to them, and tell them beforehand that you have consented to be president.”
”I don't mind being president,” said Sir John, ”if I haven't got to do anything.”
”I'm afraid--I'm _afraid_ we couldn't allow you to be a mere figurehead.”
”But presidents always are figureheads, aren't they?”
There was a bantering gleam in Sir John's eyes that irritated Mr.
Waddington. That was the worst of Corbett; you couldn't get him to take a serious thing seriously.
”'T any rate,” Sir John went on, ”there's always some secretary johnnie who runs round and does the work.”