"By——" he began, and stopped with the oath upon his lips.
"Don't swear, for pity's sake," broke forth Ffrench, finding courage for protest in his very desperation. "It's not the time for it. Let's look the thing in the face."
"Look it in the face," Haworth repeated. "Aye, let's."
He said the words with a fierce sneer.
"Aye, look it in the face, man," he said again. "That's th' thing to do."
He bent forward, extending his hand across the table.
"Let's see th' paper," he demanded.
Ffrench gave it to him, and he read the paragraphs referred to in silence. When he had finished them, he folded the paper again mechanically.
"They might have done it last year and welcome, blast 'em!" he said.