Take my place, Captain.

CAPTAIN

Thanks.  Great tune that, eh?  Stirs up a man’s vitals, eh?

GROSVENOR

Yes, indeed; yes, indeed.

CAPTAIN

Wait till we put that into the repertory of the enemy’s bandmasters.

[Leaning out of the window.

Come.  They’re a fine-looking lot, eh?

GENERAL

Fine!  Fine!  The pick of the land.  Fighters to a finish, every one of ’em.

CAPTAIN

And say, but they’re thanking God tonight for the war-scare that’s brought ’em back from manoeuvres.

GROSVENOR

[Eagerly.

They are, eh?

CAPTAIN

Manoeuvres are too tame.  They’re crazy to get into a real fight.

GROSVENOR

[In excited, subdued tones.

Then you think—­there’ll be war?

GENERAL

[Turning.

The President expects to hear from our Ambassador any minute about the private interview he wired he was about to have with the King.

GROSVENOR

[Taking up the papers.

Seen the latest?

GENERAL

[Picking out one paper with a particularly flaring headline.

“Iberia planning secret attack,” eh?  That man Pollen knows more things that aren’t so than a college graduate.

CAPTAIN

[Taking another paper.

He’s entertaining enough, though.  I daresay he has some influence.

GROSVENOR

I pray to God that we may keep peace, but we must not let ourselves be walked over—­we must not—­

CAPTAIN

[Laughing.

Exactly.  The nation is at last to see what it spends its army and navy appropriations for.  Eh?

GENERAL

No sane man wants war, but if—­

CAPTAIN

I’m sane.  And I want war.  I want to go out and help lambaste those infernally cocksure armies of that jelly-and-cream King.  We’ve parleyed long enough.  Now we’ll fight.  Force is the only convincing argument after all.

GROSVENOR