Evening star., 1939-01-01
Eyewitness.

. was Helic ehClleNlenC OUTSIDE
the Canton Hall when the hour of
the meeting arrived 1t was a pri-
Vate meeting of the party and there
We're no police precautions in evi-
dence. Men and youths arrived by
tWos and three and were swallowed
up by the portals. But presently
there were shouts within.
Mr.. Abrahams could not distin-
gulsh anything of the shouting. It
grew louder and then there was
laughter and more laughter-a jeer-
ing sort of laughter.
He made move toward the door
and then restrained himself and
turned away.
WhlStllng pensively. Mr.. Abra-
mans strolled to the corner of the
road which ran toward the corner
mouse. He glanced about him fur
lively. He was unobserved. Very
quickly he produced a red ticket
from his breast pocket, a ticket he
hao overprinted, he looked at it for
moment with his head appreciat-
lVely on one side, shifted it con-
venlently to his outer pocket, Slapped
IL, ana then with an entire change
OF bearing, marched back to the
nah, presented his illicit credential
and pushed his way into a room al
ready completely packed.
quite at the back" he whisnered
as II to an absent Mrs. Abrahams
quite at the back"
he remained an unobtrusiye hit
appreclatlve spectator of all that
followed. He tried to make a rough
computation of the number of peo-
pie present. 1t estonished him that
| there was still room to breathe. He
reckoned up about 400 or more, But
ne had printed-what had he print
| ed?-55O.
They can't have come. If thew
were turned away I should have
seen them outside"
Behave Like Seconds.
Inc tour men appointed to or
game the secret meeting had be-
haved very much in the manner of
seconds preparing for a duel. Very
plainly 1t was a duel. It was to
be held, they had agreed, with an
absolute minimum of notification.
All the tickets were to be stamped
Private and Confidential. The out
side public was to know nothing
about it. Both sides had insisted
that there was absolutely no need
Tor police, no need for any sort of
publicity at all. "It is Just a little
matter among ourselves That had
been accepted with what was after
wards recognized as suspicious
alacrity by both sides.
After that there had been some
cautious diplomacy about the agen-
da. Neither side was prepared to
name a chairman. 1--WE want a
sort of non-interventionist, said
Bodisham. 1--WE want our princi-
pals to have the amplest play"
The organizers pitched at last
upon Frobisher.
It was Lord Horatios desire that
Rud should open with his case. And
he didn't want to hear Rud open
his case. 1t would certainly bore
him, he said, and he might get in
dignant and interrupt. He wanted
to give Rud fair play. Rud could
have all the rope he needed to hang
himself. Rud could have the meet
ing to himself for his charges
against the leadership, and at the
psychological moment Lord Hora-
ito would come in, come forward
and state his own position. "Prac-
tically, what Rud will say will be
on the lines of the Hyde Park
speech?' Hoggin assumed.
practically" said Bodisham am
biguously.
Rud First Speaker.
1t was not in the philosophy Of
either Bohun or Hoggin that Rud-
or indeed any one-could make an
entirely different speech-several
different speeches. For the Bohun-
ties, ones speech was ones speech
like ones height or ones COM
plexion.
There is q verbatim report?"
Mrs Crumb has been given q
copy"
"You want Rud to fire off his
ammunition first and then you want
Lord Horatio to come in and jump
on him?" said Bodisham, shaking
his head.
1--WE give him the opening" said
Hoggin.
ANY right of reply?"
do you think that will be
needed?"
Il suppose we must agree to that,
said Bodisham with an air or re-
luctance. Il don't like it. He will
have to start from cold. No. It's
not fair. ="
So that what Mr.. Abrahams came
in for first, when he wriggled into
the back of the Canton Hall, was
Rud's opening address. If Rud had
| started cold. he had taken a re-