must be armed and triple-armed; we must be so strong that not all the
confounded foreigners leagued together can touch us. It's the cause of
civilisation, Piers. I preach it whenever I get the chance; I wish I
got it oftener. I stand for England's honour, England's supremacy on
sea and land. I st-tand----"

He tried to do so, to reach the bottle, which proved to be empty.

"Send for another, Biddy--the right Irish, my lass! Another bottle to
the glory of the British Empire! Piers, we'll make a night of it. I
haven't a bed to offer you, but Biddy'll give you a shake-down here on
the floor. You're the right sort, Piers. You're a noble-minded,
generous-hearted Englishman."

Mrs. Otway, with a glance at the visitor, only made pretence of sending
for more whisky, and Piers, after looking at his watch, insisted on
taking leave. Alexander would have gone with him to the station, but
Bridget forbade this. The patriot had to be content with promises of
another such evening, and Piers, saying significantly "You will hear
from me," hastened to catch his train.

CHAPTER VIII

When he awoke next morning from a heavy sleep, Piers suffered the
half-recollection of some reproachful dream. His musty palate and dull
brain reminded him of Alexander's whisky; matter, that, for
self-reproach; but in the background was something more. He had dreamt
of his father, and seemed to have discharged in sleep a duty still in
reality neglected; that, namely, of responding to the old man's offer
of advice respecting the use he should make of his money. Out of four
hundred pounds, two hundred were already given away--for he had no
serious expectation that his brothers would repay the so-called loans.
Plainly it behoved him to be frank on this subject. Affectionate
loyalty to his father had ever been a guiding principle in Piers
Otway's life; he was uneasy under the sense that he had begun to slip
towards neglectfulness, towards careless independence.

He would have written this morning, but, after all, it was better to
wait until he had settled the doubt which made havoc of his days. At
heart he knew that he would not present himself for the Civil Service
examination; but he durst not yet put the resolve into words. It seemed
a sort of madness, after so many months of laborious preparation, and
the fixity of purpose which had grown with his studious habit. And what
a return for the patient kindness with which his father had counselled
an