"I want to appeal to you girls," he went on. "Your sweethearts are sitting by you: well, a fellow who is such a coward as to refuse to fight for his country isn't worth having. Tell him so, shame him into being a man!" he cried, and his voice rang out, as though he were giving orders on parade. "What shall we do?" shouted a voice in the hall. "Make them feel what cowards they are. Here," and he laughed as he spoke, "I have in a basket a lot of white feathers; I think they might be of use. Any of you girls who know men who are hanging back from cowardice, just give them a white feather, and never speak to them again until they have wiped away their disgrace." He took up the basket and held it out. "There," he said, "I have finished my speech: men and women do your duty!" As he sat down the whole meeting was in a state of wild uproarious enthusiasm. A few minutes later the hall began to empty itself, although a number of people remained behind to discuss the situation. An old retired sergeant of seventy years of age stayed with a number of young fellows who lingered behind, and as they stood near to Bob he could hear every word that was said. "Come, you chaps," said the sergeant, "aren't you going to be men? aren't you going to fight the Germans?" "Why shud us?" they asked. "What 'ave we got 'ginst the Germans?" "Would you like the Germans to conquer your country? would you like to have the Kaiser for a king?" "Dunnaw: why shudden us?" replied one. "Laive they that want to fight the Germans, fight 'em--we bean't goin' to," said another. "Why shud we all git killed to plaise Members of Parliament?" "I be sheamed ov 'ee," cried an old man near; "you bean't worthy to be called Englishmen." "Why bean't us?" "'Cos you be cowards. Wud 'ee like to be traited like they Germans be?" "From oal accounts they be a darned sight better on than we be," was the reply. "Wot do 'ee main?" "Why," laughed a young fellow, "at the last general election one of the spaikers, I doan' know who 'twas, but the one that talked Tariff Reform, zaid that the Germans was a lot better off than we be. He zaid that the Germans was fat, and that we was lean, and that the Germans had better times, shorter hours, and higher wages than we've got. Ef tha's so, we'd be a lot better off under the Germans than we be now." "Bean't 'ee Englishmen?" cried the old man. "Bean't 'ee goin' to fight and keep 'em from England?" "I bean't goin' over there to git killed--not me. I knaw trick worth two of that"; and then shamefacedly the whole lot of them left the hall without enlisting.