he crowd liked that, and found themselves jeering at the interrupter as
well as at the speaker.

'Why, you'--he pointed at some one in the crowd--'_you_'re like the man
at 'Ammersmith this morning. 'E wus awskin' me, "'Ow would you like men
to st'y at 'ome and do the fam'ly washin'?" I told 'im I wouldn't advise
it. I 'ave too much respect fur'--they waited while slyly he brought
out--'me clo'es.'

'It's their place,' said some one in a rage; 'the women _ought_ to do
the washin'.'

'I'm not sure you aren't right. For a good many o' you fellas from the
look o' you, you cawn't even wash yourselves.'

This was outrageous. It was resented in an incipient riot. The helmets
of the police bobbed about. An angry voice had called out--

'Oo are you talkin' to?'

The anxiety of the inexperienced chairman was almost touching.

The Socialist revelled in the disturbance he'd created. He walked up and
down with that funny rolling gait, poking out his head at intervals in a
turtle-esque fashion highly provocative, holding his huge paws kangaroo
fashion, only with fingers stiffly pointed, and shooting them out at
intervals towards the crowd in a very ecstasy of good-natured contempt.

'Better go 'ome and awsk yer wife to wash yer fice,' he advised. '_You_
cawn't even do _that_ bit o' fam'ly washin'. Go and awsk _some_ woman.'

There was a scuffle in the crowd. A section of it surged up towards the
monument.

'Which of us d'you mean?' demanded a threatening voice.

'Well,' said the Socialist, coolly looking down, 'it takes about ten of
your sort to make a man, so you may take it I mean the lot of you.'
Again the hands shot out and scattered scorn amongst his critics.

There were angry, indistinguishable retorts, and the crowd swayed. Miss
Ernestine Blunt, who had been watching the fray with serious face,
turned suddenly, catching sight of some one just arrived at the end of
the platform. She jumped up, saying audibly to the speaker as she passed
him, 'Here she is,' and proceeded to offer her hand to help some one to
get up the improvised steps behind the lion.

The Socialist had seized with fervour upon his last chance, and was
flinging out showers of caustic advice among his foes, stirring them up
to frenzy.

Stonor, with contracted brows, had stared one dazed instant as the head
of the new-comer came up behind the lion on the left.

Jean, her eyes wide, incredulous, as though unable to accept their
testimony, pressed