TRUSTAFORD. 'Tes not a bit o' yuse; us can't 'ave no meetin' without a chairman. GODLEIGH. Us can't 'ave no chairman without a meetin' to elect un, that's zure. [A silence.] MORSE. [Heavily] To my way o' thinkin', Mr. Godleigh speaks zense; us must 'ave a meetin' before us can 'ave a chairman. CLYST. Then what we got to du's to elect a meetin'. BURLACOMBE. [Sourly] Yu'll not find no procedure far that. [Voices from among the dumb-as fishes: "Mr. Burlacombe 'e oughter know."] SOL POTTER. [Scratching his head--with heavy solemnity] 'Tes my belief there's no other way to du, but to elect a chairman to call a meetin'; an' then for that meetin' to elect a chairman. CLYST. I purpose Mr. Burlacombe as chairman to call a meetin'. FREMAN. I purpose Sol Potter. GODLEIGH. Can't 'ave tu propositions together before a meetin'; that's apple-pie zure vur zurtain. [Voice from among the dumb-as fishes: "There ain't no meetin' yet, Sol Potter zays."] TRUSTAFORD. Us must get the rights of it zettled some'ow. 'Tes like the darned old chicken an' the egg--meetin' or chairman--which come virst? SOL POTTER. [Conciliating] To my thinkin' there shid be another way o' duin' it, to get round it like with a circumbendibus. 'T'all comes from takin' different vuse, in a manner o' spakin'. FREMAN. Vu goo an' zet in that chair. SOL POTTER. [With a glance at BURLACOMBE modestly] I shid'n never like fur to du that, with Mr. Burlacombe zettin' there. BURLACOMBE. [Rising] 'Tes all darned fulishness. [Amidst an uneasy shufflement of feet he moves to the door, and goes out into the darkness.] CLYST. [Seeing his candidate thus depart] Rackon curate's pretty well thru by now, I'm goin' to zee. [As he passes JARLAND] 'Ow's to base, old man? [He goes out. One of the dumb-as-fishes moves from the door and fills the apace left on the bench by BURLACOMBE'S departure.] JARLAND. Darn all this puzzivantin'! [To SOL POTTER] Got an' zet in that chair. SOL POTTER. [Rising and going to the chair; there he stands, changing from one to the other of his short broad feet and sweating from modesty and worth] 'Tes my duty now, gentlemen, to call a meetin' of the parishioners of this parish. I beg therefore to declare that this is a meetin' in accordance with my duty as chairman of this meetin' which elected me chairman to call this meetin'. And I purceed to vacate the chair so that this meetin' may now purceed to elect a chairman. [He gets up from the chair, and wiping the sweat from his brow, goes back to his seat.] FREMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise on a point of order. GODLEIGH. There ain't no chairman. FREMAN. I don't give a darn for that. I rise on a point of order. GODLEIGH. 'Tes a chairman that decides points of order. 'Tes certain yu can't rise on no points whatever till there's a chairman.