blow the whistle. If you're for Newcastle next week, Mr. Maraton, so
am I. If you're for preaching a strike, well, I'm for preaching against
it."

"Hear, hear!" Graveling exclaimed. "I'm with you."

Maraton smiled a little bitterly.

"As you will, Mr. Dale," he replied. "But remember, you'll have to seek
another constituency next time you want to come into Parliament. Do be
reasonable," he went on. "Do you suppose the people will listen to you
preaching peace and contentment? They'll whip you out of the town."

"It's the carpet-bagger that will have to go first!" Dale declared
vigorously. "There's no two ways about that."

Maraton sighed.

"Sometimes," he said, looking around at them, "I feel that it must be my
fault that there has never been any sympathy between us. Sometimes I am
sure that it is yours. Don't you ever look a little way beyond the
actual wants of your own constituents? Don't you ever peer over the
edge and realise that the real cause of the people is no local matter?
It is a great blow for their freedom, this which I mean to strike. I'd
like to have had you all with me. It's a huge responsibility for one."

"It's revolution," Culvain muttered. "You may call that a
responsibility, indeed. Who's going to feed the people? Who's going to
keep them from pillaging and rioting?"

"No one," Maraton replied quietly. "A revolution is inevitable.
Perhaps after that we may have to face the coming of a foreign enemy.
And yet, even with this contingency in view, I want you to ask
yourselves: What have the people to lose? Those who will suffer by
anything that could possibly happen, will be the wealthy. From those
who have not, nothing can be taken. What I prophesy is that in the next
phase of our history, a new era will dawn. Our industries will be
re-established upon different lines. The loss entailed by the
revolution, by the dislocating of all our industries, will fall upon the
people who are able and who deserve to pay for it."

There was a moment's grim silence. Then David Ross suddenly lifted his
head.

"It's a great blow!" he cried. "It's the hand of the Lord falling upon
the land, long overdue--too long overdue. The man's right! This people
have had a century to set their house in order. The warning has been in
their ears long enough. The thunder has muttered so long, it's time the
storm should break. Let ruin come, I say!"

"You can talk any silly nonsense you like, David Ross," Dale declared