"Our aim is to awake the sense of duty which seems to us to have become atrophied, even among the professedly religious," said Stairs. "And ours," said Crondall, sharp as steel, "is to ram home your teaching, and to show them that the nearest duty to their hand is their duty to the State, to the Race, to their children--the duty of freeing England and throwing over German dominion." "To render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's," said Reynolds. And Stairs nodded agreement. "Now, by my way of it, Stairs and Reynolds must succeed before we can succeed," said Crondall. "That is my view, and because that is so, you can both look to me, up till the last breath in me, for any kind of support I can give you--for any kind of support at all. But that's not all. Where you sow, I mean to reap. We both want substantially the same harvest--mine is part of yours. I know I can count on you all. You, Stairs, and you, Reynolds, are going to carry your Message through England. I propose to follow in your wake with mine. You rouse them to the sense of duty; I show them their duty. You make them ready to do their duty; I show it them. I'll have a lecturer. I'll get pictures. They shall _feel_ the invasion, and know what the German occupation means. You shall convert them, and I'll enlist them." "Enlist them! By Jove! that's an idea," said Forbes Thompson. "A patriotic league, a league of defenders, a nation in arms." "The Liberators!" "Ah! Yes, the Liberators." "Or the Patriots, simply?" "I would enrol them just as citizens," said Crondall. "By that time they should have learned the meaning of the word." "Yes, by Jove! it is good enough--just 'The Citizens,'" said Sir Morell Strachey. And then a servant came in with a message for Forbes Thompson, and we realized that dinner-time had come and almost gone. But we were in no mood for separating just then, and so every one welcomed John Crondall's invitation to dine with him at a neighbouring hotel. V MY OWN PART Free men freely work; Whoever fears God, fears to sit at ease. E. B. BROWNING. Constance Grey and myself were the last of John Crondall's guests to leave him on that evening of the conference. As soon as we three were alone, Constance turned to Crondall, and said: "You must expect to have me among your camp followers if I find Aunt Mary can stand the travelling. I dare say there will be little things I can do." "Things you can do! By George, I should think so!" said Crondall. "I shall look to you to capture the women; and if we get the women, it will surprise me if we don't get the men as well. Besides, don't you fancy I have forgotten your prowess as a speaker in Cape Town and Pretoria. You remember that meeting of your father's, when you saved him from the wrath of Vrow Bischoff? Why, of course, I reckon on you. We'll have special women's meetings."