“If that’s so,” he said, “we must make our objection more unmistakably obvious than before.”
“Quite so,” said Babberly; “but how? Is it—”
“By fighting them,” said McNeice.
“If by fighting them,” said Babberly, “you mean asking the unarmed citizens of Belfast to stand up against rifles—”
“Unarmed?” The word came from Conroy in his corner. Every one was startled. We had not expected Conroy to take any part in the discussion.
“Undrilled, undisciplined,” said Babberly. “What can be the result of such a conflict as you suggest? Our people, the men who have trusted us, will be mowed down. We shall place ourselves hopelessly in the wrong. We shall alienate the sympathies of our friends in England.”
A large crowd had gathered in the street outside the windows of the room in which we were sitting. I suppose that the men found waiting a tiresome business. By way of passing the time they began to sing “O God, our help in ages past.”
“It is of the utmost importance to us,” said Babberly, “to retain the sympathies of the English constituencies. Any illegal violence on our part—”
“You should have thought of that before you told the English people that we meant to fight,” said McNeice.