"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." So that was Corbett's idea: to sit in his armchair and bag all the prestige, while he, Waddington of Wyck, ran round and did the work. "Not in this case. In these small local affairs you can't delegate business. Everything depends on the personal activity of the president." "The deuce it does. How do you mean?" "I mean this. If Sir John Corbett asks for a subscription he gets it. We've got to round up the whole county and all the townspeople and villagers. It's no use shooting pamphlets at 'em from a motor-car. They like being personally interviewed. If Sir John Corbett comes and talk to them and tells them they must join, ten to one they will join. "And there isn't any time to be lost if we want to get in first before other places take it up. It'll mean pretty sharp work, day in and day out, rounding them all up." "Oh, Lord, Waddington, _don't_. I'm tired already with the bare idea of it." "Come, we can't have you tired, Corbett. Why, it won't be worse, it won't be half as bad as a season's hunting. You're just the man for it. Fit as fit." "Not half as fit as I look, Waddington." "There's another thing--the meetings. If the posters say Sir John Corbett will address the meeting people'll come. If Sir John Corbett speaks they'll listen." "My dear fellow, that settles it. I can't speak for nuts. You _know_ I can't. I can introduce a speaker and move a vote of thanks, and that's about all I _can_ do. It's your show, not mine. _You_ ought to be president, Waddington. You'll enjoy it and I shan't." "I don't know at all about enjoying it. It'll be infernally hard work." "Precisely." "You don't mean, Corbett, that you won't come in with us? That you won't come on the Committee?" "I'll come on all right if I haven't got to speak, and if I haven't got to do anything. I shan't be much good, but I could at least propose you as president. You couldn't very well propose yourself." "It's very good of you." Mr. Waddington made his voice sound casual and indifferent, so that he might appear to be entertaining the suggestion provisionally and under protest. "There'll have to be one big meeting before the Committee's formed or anything. If I let you off the presidency," he said playfully, "will you take the chair?" "For that one evening?" "That one evening only." "You'll do all the talking?" "I shall have to."