"They will strike," Aaron muttered,--"three thousand of them! Splendid!"
"It is piecemeal work, this. They do not understand."
"They do not understand what?" Julia asked him, turning her head swiftly.
"They will ask for five shillings a week more and get half-a-crown," he said. "Half-a-crown a week! What difference can it make? Do you know what Boulding's put on one side for distribution to their shareholders last year?--what they put to their reserve fund? Why, it was a fortune!"
A man from somewhere at the back of the hall climbed on to a seat to get a better view and suddenly pointed out Maraton to his neighbours. A little murmur arose from the vicinity. Some one mentioned his name. The cry was taken up from the other side of the hall.
Maraton sat back, frowning. The cries, however, became more insistent. The occupants of the platform were leaning forward towards him. The chairman rose In his feet and beckoned. With obvious reluctance, Maraton moved a few steps to the front. From the far corners of the ill-lit hall, white-faced men climbed on to the benches, peering through the cloud of smoke which hung almost like fog about the place. They saluted him in all manner of ways--with cat-calls, hurrahs, stamping of feet, clapping of hands. Maraton, who had climbed up on to the platform, was soon surrounded.
"Thought you weren't going to honour us here, Mr. Maraton," he remarked gruffly.
"I had not meant to," Maraton replied. "I came as one of the audience. I wanted to hear, to understand if I could."
"This is Mr. Docker," he said, performing the introduction. "Mr. Docker--Mr. Maraton."
"Come to support us, sir, I hope?" the former remarked.
"I came to listen," Maraton answered. "To tell you the truth, it's against my views, this, an individual strike."
They were calling to him now from the front. Mr. Docker's reply was inaudible.
"You'll have to say a few words," Dale insisted. "They'll never leave off until you do."
Maraton nodded and turned towards the audience. He stood looking down at them for a moment or two, without speech. Even after silence had been established he seemed to be at a loss as to exactly what to say. When at last he did speak, it was in an easy and conversational manner. There was no sign of the fire or the frenzy with which he had kindled the enthusiasms of the people of the United States.