"I shall be very glad—anything I can do—"
Mr. Waddington was a little disturbed by this ready acquiescence.
"Mind you, it isn't going to end here, in Wyck. I shall start it in Wyck first; then I shall take it straight to the big towns, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Nailsworth, Stroud. We'll set 'em going till we've got a branch in every town and every village in the county."
He thought: "That ought to settle him." He had created a vision of intolerable activity.
"Bless me," said Sir John, "you've got your work cut out for you."
"Of course I shall have to get a local committee first. I can't take a step like that without consulting you."
Sir John muttered something that sounded like "Very good of you, I'm sure."
"No more than my duty to the League. Now, the point is, Sir Maurice was anxious that I should be president of this local branch. It needs somebody with energy and determination—the president's work, certainly, will be cut out for him—and I feel very strongly, and I think that my Committee will feel that you, Corbett, are the proper person."
"H'm—m."
"I didn't think I should be justified in going further without first obtaining your consent."