Produced by Suzanne Shell, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) THE SECRET OF THE LEAGUE The Story of a Social War By ERNEST BRAMAH THOMAS NELSON AND SONS [Illustration: She began to unbuckle the frozen straps of his gear.] CONTENTS. I. IRENE II. THE PERIOD, AND THE COMING OF WINGS III. THE MILLION TO ONE CHANCE IV. THE COMPACT V. THE DOWNTRODDEN VI. MISS LISLE TELLS A LONG POINTLESS STORY VII. "SCHEDULE B" VIII. TANTROY EARNS HIS WAGE IX. SECRET HISTORY X. THE ORDER OF ST. MARTIN OF TOURS XI. MAN BETWEEN TWO MASTERS XII. BY TELESCRIBE XIII. THE EFFECT OF THE BOMB XIV. THE LAST CHANCE AND THE COUNSEL OF EXPEDIENCE XV. THE GREAT FIASCO XVI. THE DARK WINTER XVII. THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY XVIII. THE MUSIC AND THE DANCE XIX. THE "FINIS" MESSAGE XX. STOBALT OF SALAVEIRA XXI. THE BARGAIN OF FAMINE XXII. "POOR ENGLAND" THE SECRET OF THE LEAGUE. CHAPTER I IRENE "I suppose I am old-fashioned"--there was a murmur of polite dissent from all the ladies present, except the one addressed--"Oh, I take it as a compliment nowadays, I assure you; but when I was a girl a young lady would have no more thought of flying than of"--she paused almost on a note of pained surprise at finding the familiar comparison of a lifetime cut off--"well, of standing on her head." "No," replied the young lady in point, with the unfeeling candour that marked the youthful spirit of the age, "because it wasn't invented. But you went bicycling, and your mothers were very shocked at first." "I hardly think that you can say that, Miss Lisle," remarked another of the matrons, "because I can remember that more than twenty years ago one used to see quite elderly ladies bicycling." "After the others had lived all the ridicule down," retorted Miss Lisle scornfully. "Oh yes; I quite expect that in a few more years you will see quite elderly ladies flying." The little party of matrons seated on the Hastings promenade regarded each other surreptitiously, and one or two smiled slightly, while one or two shuddered slightly. "Flying is very different, dear," said Mrs Lisle reprovingly. "I often think of what your dear grandfather used to say. He said"--impressively--"that if the Almighty had intended that we should fly, He would have sent us into the world with wings upon our backs." There was a murmur of approval from all--all except Miss Lisle, that is. "But do you ever think of what Geoffrey replied to dear grandpapa when he heard him say that once, mother?" said the unimpressed daughter. "He said: 'And don't you think, sir, that if the Almighty had intended us to use railways, He would have sent us into the world with wheels upon our feet?'"