“One of the worst crisisises,” said Payne solemnly, and taking some gloomy enjoyment in making the word as long and as important as possible, “that ever you encountered in all your puff.” “I’m ready for it,” said Erb. “They’ve sacked you,” said Payne. “Is that all?” “They’ve shown you the door. They’ve helped you downstairs with their foot. They’ve kicked you out, old man.” “This a joke?” asked Erb. “Never made a joke in me life,” declared Payne, “and well you know it.” Erb went over to the window and rested on the window sill. “Spanswick?” he asked briefly. “Him,” answered Payne, “and no other.” “And they settled it all without hearing my account of the case?” “Old chum! there didn’t seem to be no room for any other account. He’d got chapter and verse for everything he said. All about a twenty pound cheque, all about—” “And it never occurred to this—this flock of sheep,” shouted Erb excitedly, “that I destroyed that cheque and never cashed it?” “I don’t think they understand much about cheques,” said Payne. “The fact that you took it was what impressed them.” Neither spoke for a few minutes. “Who’s going to take my place?” “Friend of Spanswick’s.” “Name Doubleday?” “Name of Doubleday,” said Payne affirmatively. “Clever sort of sweat, so far as I could judge. What are you going to do about it, old man? Going to organise, I trust. Open-air meeting, say.” “Did any of the others stick up for my side?” “Only me!” A pause again. “Well, you’re going to do something?” “You’ve got another guess,” said Erb. CHAPTER XV IF Erb’s experience of life had been greater, if his knowledge of the trend of events had been more extensive, he would have been helped by the assurance that in this world, mist and sunshine alternate, and that rarely a fog descends on the life of an energetic man and remains there always. But had Erb known this, there would still have remained the undeniable fact that, for the time at any rate, the atmosphere was murky. He showed a certain amount of temper. He sent in his keys addressed to the acting secretary, and, knowing that the accounts were all in order, declined the request that he should attend to explain money matters to his successor; he decided to leave London (having indeed very little there to leave) and to go down to Worthing, giving no one but Payne his address. “Looks as though you had turned sulky,” remonstrated Payne. “I have!” said Erb. The new number of “The Carman,” which he himself had made up, contained a brief paragraph, to make room for which a quotation from Ruskin had been deleted. “We beg to state that Herbert Barnes has no longer any connection with the Society, and that the position of Secretary will be filled up at the next meeting of the committee. At present everything points to Friend Doubleday, who is in a position to devote the whole of his time to the work, and can be relied on not to have dealings with the representatives of capital.”