"Judging by the price he charged for those firelighters," he said, "Mr. Noakes is a profiteer."
"Prophet neither here nor there, for all his Bible name, and his sons' likewise," said Mrs. Trenchard. "That there Nahum, coming here and stuffing his unnat'ral thoughts into the heads of our young fellers whose time be nigh come! There was Billy Runt, and young Pantany, and Tim Coggins, and such—oh! it did rile me, and I hadn't the heart to go there, so I comed home along. And bless 'ee, he be going to wag his tongue again to-morrow, and axed the boys to bring all their friends to hear un."
"Splendid!" cried Eves. "I say, Bob, we'll go. You can nobble the audience for Aunt Caroline."
This suggestion was not immediately accepted by Templeton, but in the privacy of their bedroom it bore fruit.
"This is rather serious, you know, Tom," he said.
"Broken a collar-stud, old man?" Eves rejoined.
"No; I mean this speechifying. It's not right for the fellow to turn the village boys against military service."
"Gas like that won't do much harm."
"But it may. It ought to be stopped. It's our duty to stop it."
"Jolly good idea! Start an opposition meeting and talk him down. Ripping rag!"