A tall somber man came in from a rear room. He was Parson Wiley introduced us.
"This is my husband," she said.
The parson shook my hand. "l hope the old man didn't disturb you very much," he said. "It's a nui-sauce, that's what it is. We have it every year. My wife puts up this show for sentimental reasons—ah, on the old man's part I; mean. She's afraid if he came and there was ne Nancy here he'd die of a broken heart."
"But is there no Nancy "Heavens, no," said the parson. "He's blind, as you must have seen, and my wife—Helen—has managed to deceive him. There was a Nancy here, of course, but she died twelve years ago. A rather vulgar woman I think they said she was."
We talked of the story at length.
The parson had me stay to dinner and we discussed the business on which I had come. I left rather late, and the parson's wife walked with me a short distance so I would be sure to find my way. At the parting, I said:
had a very nice time."
"So did L" she said; "and don't believe what the parson told you about Nancy dying twelve years ago" she said, and through the moonlight I saw the faint trace of a smile in her fierce black eyes.
I knew then that it was not the captain who had been deceived. may even encourage our hope of success. For years we have been crying out for someone to lead and do the big thing, to originate events instead "Who|of being obsequious to them. Now that the man has volunteered, the east we can do, whatever our per-Sonal views, is to give him the agement of our cheers and to the brave spectacle of a united nation,
Mr. Eden ana the Prime Minister, so The differences of opinion between far as they have been revealed, are not sufficient to explain the resigna-eton thought with Labour that the true policy of peace Toro Min ne cies on a common battle front a 3 Wainst the dicta tors; or that it was enough to chant the formula of collective security to be, in fact, secure; or that the drift of affairs was inevitably 2 towards peace; or that a bluff of war would come off; or that actual war promises an easy, pleasant victory; or victory itself would settle anything then, indeed, there might be much to be said. against making any special effort.
But Mr. Eden's own speeches as Foreign Minister and the gross facts of present experience contradict such suppositions. The very first condition of peace is to cease dividing mankind into sheep and goats; to assume that though nations may be wiser or more foolish, they are all honestly trying to do the right thing. If we cannot bring ourselves to that view, and still want peace, there is no way but to sulk at home and refuse to have anything to do with the world outside.
There are three ways of influencing others. One is by war. A second is by the bluff of war. The third is by persuasion. The first will come near to destroying European civilisation. The second is high treason to democracy which pays the bill for failure with its lives, and has a right to know exactly what risks it is running by any particular policy and to reject them unless it approves. As for the third way of persuasion, that is impossible except by assaying each other's views and the chances of reconciling them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.