"The Dean has reserved seats for us," I said. "Capital, capital. We can regard that as settled then. My private secretary--an excellent young fellow whom I picked up at Toynbee Hall--a student of our social problems--a man whom I'm sure you'll like." He conducted Marion to the door and handed her over to the private secretary from Toynbee Hall. I resigned myself and led Clithering to a deserted smoking-room. "I never saw so much church-going anywhere," he said. "It's most remarkable. I don't think the Government quite appreciates--" As a matter of fact the percentage of church-going men on that particular Sunday was considerably over the average. On the other hand there were much fewer women than usual. Every church of every Protestant denomination was holding a "Parade Service" for volunteers, and most of the women who tried to get in had to be turned away from the doors. I thought it well to rub the facts in a little. "Rack-renting landlords," I said. "Sweating capitalists, and clergymen whose churches are empty because their congregations are tired of hearing them curse the Pope!" "Eh?" said Clithering, "what's that? what's that?" "Only a quotation," I said. "I forget if it was a Cabinet Minister--" "Not at all," said Clithering. "I recollect the words now. It was one of the Irish Members. No Cabinet Minister would dream of saying such things. We have a high sense of the importance of the Ulster problem. Nothing, I assure you, is further from our minds than the desire to minimize or treat with undue flippancy the conscientious objections, even the somewhat unreasonable fears of men whom we recognize as--" Clithering paused. I had not anything particular to say, so I waited for him to begin again. "I understand," he said, "that a meeting of the Unionist Defence Committee is to be held this afternoon." "Yes," I said. "I'm going to it. I'm not really a member of the committee, at least I wasn't until yesterday; but--" "I quite understand, quite understand. In fact--speaking now in the strictest confidence--I may say that the suggestion to add your name to the committee was made--well it was made to Lady Moyne by a very important person. It was generally recognized that a man of your well-known moderation--" I was beginning to dislike being called a man of moderation nearly as much as I disliked being called a Liberal. "What do you want me to do?" I asked. "The situation--the very difficult and distressing situation is this," said Clithering, "stated roughly it is this. The Government has proclaimed to-morrow's meeting." "That," I said, "is the pit into which--I don't want to be offensive--I'll say, your ox has fallen." "And the town is full of troops and police. Any attempt to hold the meeting can only result in bloodshed, deplorable bloodshed, the lives of men and women, innocent women sacrificed." "The strength of Babberly's position," I said, "is that he doesn't think bloodshed deplorable."