“Sounds like the Guv’nor’s voice.”

“Ah!” said the gardener.

“Alf a mo’!” And, drawing in his head, Joe peered through the curtains.  The bed was empty and the door open.

“Watch it!  ’E’s loose!” he called to the gardener, and descended the stairs at a run.

In fact, Mr. Lavender had come out of his coma at the words, “D’you think we can win this war?” And, at once conscious that he had not read the morning papers, had got out of bed.  Sallying forth just as he was he had made his way downstairs, followed by Blink.  Seeing the journals lying on the chest in the hall, he took all five to where he usually went at this time of the morning, and sat down to read.  Once there, the pain he was in, added to the disorder occasioned in his brain by the five leaders, caused him to give forth a summary of their contents, while Blink pressed his knees with her chin whenever the rising of his voice betokened too great absorption, as was her wont when she wanted him to feed her.  Joe Petty joined the gardener in considerable embarrassment.

“Shan’t I not ’alf cop it from the Missis?” he murmured.  “The door’s locked.”

The voice of Mr. Lavender maintained its steady flow, rising and falling with the tides of his pain and his feelings.  “What, then, is our duty?  Is it not plain and simple?  We require every man in the Army, for that is the ‘sine qua non’ of victory.  We must greatly reinforce the ranks of labour in our shipyards—­ships, ships, ships, always more ships; for without them we shall infallibly be defeated.  We cannot too often repeat that we must see the great drama that is being played before our eyes steadily, and we must see it whole....  Not a man must be taken from the cultivation of our soil, for on that depends our very existence as a nation.  Without abundant labour of the right sort on the land we cannot hope to cope with the menace of the pirate submarine.  We must have the long vision, and not be scuppered by the fears of those who would deplete our most vital industry . . . .  In munition works,” wailed Mr. Lavender’s voice, as he reached the fourth leader, “we still require the maximum of effort, and a considerable reinforcement of manpower will in that direction be necessary to enable us to establish the overwhelming superiority in the air and in guns which alone can ensure the defeat of our enemies"....  He reached the fifth in what was almost a scream.  “Every man up to sixty must be mobilized but here we would utter the most emphatic caveat.  In the end this war will be won by the country whose financial position stands the strain best.  The last copper bullet will be the deciding factor.  Our economic strength must on no account be diminished.  We cannot at this time of day afford to deplete the ranks of trade and let out the very life-blood in our veins.”  “We must see,” groaned Mr. Lavender, “the problem steadily, and see it whole.”

“Poor old geyser!” said the gardener; “’e do seem bad.”