'E sheds the light of 'is warm and 'andsome smile on the working man, and round on the other side 'e's tippin' a wink to the great land-owners. That's to let 'em know 'e's standin' between them and the Socialists. Huh! Socialists. Yuss, _Socialists_! (_General laughter, in which_ STONOR _joins._) The Liberal, e's the judicial sort o' chap that sits in the middle---- VOICE. On the fence! MR. P. Tories one side--Socialists the other. Well it ain't always so comfortable in the middle. You're like to get squeezed. Now, I s'y to the women, the Conservatives don't promise you much but what they promise they _do_! STONOR (_to_ JEAN). This fellow isn't half bad. MR. P. The Liberals--they'll promise you the earth, and give yer ... the whole o' nothing. (_Roars of approval._) JEAN. _Isn't_ it fun? Now, aren't you glad I brought you? STONOR (_laughing_). This chap's rather amusing! MR. P. We men 'ave seen it 'appen over and over. But the women can tyke a 'int quicker'n what we can. They won't stand the nonsense men do. Only they 'aven't got a fair chawnce even to agitate fur their rights. As I wus comin' up 'ere I 'eard a man sayin', "Look at this big crowd. W'y, we're all _men_! If the women want the vote w'y ain't they 'ere to s'y so?" Well, I'll tell you w'y. It's because they've 'ad to get the dinner fur you and me, and now they're washin' up the dishes. A VOICE. D'you think _we_ ought to st'y 'ome and wash the dishes? MR. P. (_laughs good-naturedly_). If they'd leave it to us once or twice per'aps we'd understand a little more about the Woman Question. I know w'y _my_ wife isn't here. It's because she _knows_ I ain't much use round the 'ouse, and she's 'opin' I can talk to some purpose. Maybe she's mistaken. Any'ow, here I am to vote for her and all the other women. ("_Hear! hear!_" "_Oh-h!_") And to tell you men what improvements you can expect to see when women 'as the share in public affairs they _ought_ to 'ave! VOICE. What do you know about it? You can't even talk grammar. MR. P. (_is dashed a fraction of a moment, for the first and only time_). I'm not 'ere to talk grammar but to talk Reform. I ain't defendin' my grammar--but I'll say in pawssing that if my mother 'ad 'ad 'er rights, maybe my grammar would have been better. (STONOR _and_ JEAN _exchange smiles. He takes her arm again and bends his head to whisper something in her ear. She listens with lowered eyes and happy face. The discreet love-making goes on during the next few sentences. Interruption. One voice insistent but not clear. The speaker waits only a second and then resumes. "Yes, if the women" but he cannot instantly make himself heard. The boyish_ CHAIRMAN _looks harassed and anxious._ MISS ERNESTINE BLUNT _alert, watchful._) MR. P. Wait a bit--'arf a minute, my man! VOICE. 'Oo yer talkin' to? I ain't your man.