ill be submerged and all
sensible people will die."

I began to get at the meaning of the red letters. T.R. S. plainly stood
for Tommy Rot Society. The preliminary "A" could indicate nothing else
but the particle anti. The prospect before us, if Lalage is anything of
a judge, and I suppose she must be, is sufficiently serious to justify
the existence of the society.

"Each member of the committee is pledged to expose in the press by
means of scathing articles, and thus hound out of public life any man,
whatever his position, who is caught talking tommyrot. This will be done
anonymously, so as to establish a reign of terror under which no man of
any eminence will feel safe. The committee intends to begin with bishops
of all denominations. I thought this would interest you now that you are
an ambassador and engaged in fostering international complications."

I read this with a feeling of discomfort similar to that of the
gentleman who set the examination paper on St. Paul's epistles. There,
seemed to me to be a veiled threat in the last sentence. The committee
intended to begin with bishops, but there cannot be above sixty or
seventy bishops in Ireland altogether, even including the ex-moderators
of the Presbyterian General Assembly, not more than a hundred. An
energetic committee would certainly be able to deal with them in less
than three months. Whose turn would come next? Quite possibly the
diplomatists. I do not particularly object to the prospect of being
hounded out of public life by means of scathing articles; but I feel
that I should not be the only victim. Some of the others would certainly
resent Lalage's action and then there would be a fuss. I have always
hated fuss of any kind.

"Only members of the committee are expected to take part in the active
propaganda of the society. Ordinary members merely subscribe. I am
sending this appeal to father, Lord Thormanby, Miss Battersby, who is
still there, and the Archdeacon, as well as to you."

I breathed a sigh of great relief. Lalage was not threatening my
colleagues with exposure in the press.

She was merely asking for a subscription. I wrote at once, warmly
commending the objects and methods of the society. I enclosed a cheque
for five pounds with a request that I should be enrolled as five
ordinary life members. I underlined the word ordinary, and added a
postscript in which I expressly refused to act on the committee even if
elected. Lalage did not answ