"But hang it all, Ralph, that's no excuse. It really isn't." "I believe Ballinger gave him some provocation." "I don't care what he gave him. He'd no earthly business to take advantage of it. Not with that sort of person. Besides, it wouldn't matter about Ballinger so much, but there's old Susan and the kiddies.... He doesn't see how perfectly sickening it is for _me_." "It isn't very nice for your mother." "No; it's jolly hard on the poor mater.... Well, I can't stick it much longer. I'm just about fed up with Horatio Bysshe. I shall clear out first thing in the morning before he's down. I don't care if I never see him or speak to him again." "I say, I say, how about the midsummer holidays?" "Oh, damn the midsummer holidays!" "Isn't it rather rotten to take a line you can't possibly keep up?" "That's all right. Whatever I may do in the future," said young Horace magnificently, "I've got to give him his punishment _now_." Ralph laughed. Young Horace was as big an egoist as his father, but with these differences: his blood was hot instead of cold, he had his mother's humour, and he was not a fool. Ralph wondered how he would have felt if he had realized Mrs. Levitt's part in the Ballinger affair. 3 Mr. Waddington remained standing on his platform. They were coming round him now, grasping him by the hand, congratulating him: Sir John Corbett, the Rector, Major Markham of Wyck Wold and Mr. Hawtrey of Medlicott. "Capital speech, Waddington, capital." "Best speech made in the Town Hall since they built it." "Splendid. You landed them one every time." "No wonder you drew them down on to you." "That was a disgraceful business," said Sir John. "Disgraceful." "Nothing of the sort ever happened in Wyck before," said the Rector. "Nobody ever made a speech like Waddington's before," said Major Markham of Wyck Wold. "Oh, you always get a row if you drag in politics," Mr. Hawtrey said. "I don't know," said Sir John. "That was a put-up job between Hitchin and Grainger." "Struck me it had every appearance of a spontaneous outburst," Major Markham said. "I've no doubt the rowdy element was brought in from the outside," said the Rector. "Hardly one of Hitchin's workpeople is a Wyck man. Otherwise I should have to apologize to Waddington for my parishioners." "You needn't. There was nothing personal to me in it. Nothing personal at all. Even Hitchin wouldn't have had the impudence to oppose me on my own platform. It was the League they were going for. Bit too big for 'em. If you come out with a large, important thing like that there's sure to be some opposition just at first till it gets hold of 'em." "Glad you can see it that way," said Sir John. "My dear fellow, that's the way to see it. It's the right way; the big impersonal way." "You've taken it in the proper spirit, Waddington," said the Rector. "None of those fellows meant any real harm. All good fellows.... By the way, is it true that the Ballingers have moved to Lower Wyck?"