"He says he's done it; but if it's not legal, he can't do it. Everybody's got a right to speak on a committee, and I never heard in all my born days that a chairman could rule a thing out of order, if 'twas properly proposed and seconded," answered the other. Much irrelevant but heated argument followed, and none could satisfy Jacob that the chair was in the right. Suddenly the landlord of the Castle Inn turned to Valentine Huggins. "Let's abide by you, Val," he cried. "You'm the oldest among us. I warrant Taverner will abide by you. What do you say?" "I say 'beer,'" piped the ancient man. "I be so dry as a dead bone along o' listening; what you talking members must be, I can't picture." "I second," declared Weekes; "and 'tis idle for you to pretend that can't be passed, Churchward, because we're unanimous--except Norseman, who'll have his bottle of lemonade as per usual, no doubt." Mr. Pearn had already put on his hat. "I'll nip round myself an' tell 'em to send it in," he declared. Then he hurried off. "I'm in your hands, of course," began the schoolmaster. "I merely remark that I don't pay again. If you had listened to the minutes, you'd have been reminded that the chairman stood liquor and tobacco last time. We must give and take--even in committee." "I'll pay half," said Mr. Taverner. "And I'll pay the rest," declared Nathaniel Spry,--"provided the committee will keep quiet and let me read the minutes while it's drinking." "That's fair enough, certainly," said Brendon. "By the looks of it, this meeting won't have no time to do more than hear what fell out at the last. 'Tis near nine o'clock now, and us no forwarder." When Mr. Pearn returned with a pot-boy and three quarts of ale, the secretary had started upon his report. Nobody paid much attention to him save Daniel Brendon; but as soon as the liquor was poured out--by which time Mr. Spry had come to St. George and the Dragon--an interruption took place. "I ask for that passage to be given again," said Mr. Norseman. "I heard my name, but I didn't catch what went with it." Nathaniel read as follows:-- "Mr. Valentine Huggins then proposed that the Dragon should go along with St. George, and it was suggested that Mr. William Churchward should enact the Dragon. Mr. Norseman then said that he would be party to no play-acting, because play-acting in his opinion was wickedness; and he added that if the committee persisted in this opinion, he would think it his duty to put the matter before the vicar. Mr. William Churchward was privately approached by the chairman subsequent to the meeting and refused to play Dragon----" "If that's still your opinion, Norseman, you'd better go off the committee," said Mr. Taverner; "because to dress up to be somebody else is play-acting in a way, even though nought's said. You be in a minority of one, so you may just as well retire."