The second is the tragic aspect.  According to this view, we see more than two dogs fighting for a bone, and life hopping under the Juggernaut wheel.  The two dogs are making the bone a pretext for a fight with each other.  That old bull-dog, the British capitalist, has got the bone in his teeth.  That unsatisfied mongrel, Plebs, the proletariat, shivers with rage not so much at the sight of the bone, as at sight of the great wrinkled jowl that holds it.  There is the old dog, with his knowing look and his massive grip on the bone:  and there is the insatiable mongrel, with his great splay paws.  The one is all head and arrogance, the other all paws and grudge.  The bone is only the pretext.  A first condition of the being of Bully is that he shall hate the prowling great paws of the Plebs, whilst Plebs by inherent nature goes mad at the sight of Bully’s jowl.  “Drop it!” cries Plebs.  “Hands off!” growls Bully.  It is hands against head, the shambling, servile body in a rage of insurrection at last against the wrinkled, heavy head.

Labour not only wants his debt.  He wants his pound of flesh.  It is a quandary.  In our heart of hearts we must admit the debt.  We must admit that it is long overdue.  But this last condition!  In vain we study our anatomy to see which part we can best spare.

Where is our Portia, to save us with a timely quibble?  We’ve plenty of Portias.  They’ve recited their heads off—­“The quality of mercy is not strained.”  But the old Shylock of the proletariat persists.  He pops up again, and says, “All right, I can’t have my pound of flesh with the blood.  But then you can’t keep my pound of flesh with your blood—­you owe it to me.  It is your business to deliver the goods.  Deliver it then—­with or without blood—­deliver it.”  The Portia scratches her head, and thinks again.

What’s the solution?  There is no solution.  But still there is a choice.  There’s a choice between a mess and a tragedy.  If Plebs and Bully hang on one to each end of the bone, and pull for grim life, they will at last tear the bone to atoms:  in short, destroy the whole material substance of life, and so perish by accident, no better than a frog under the wheel of destiny.  That may be a disaster, but it is only a mess for all that.

On the other hand, if they have a fight to fight they might really drop the bone.  Instead of wrangling the bone to bits they might really go straight for one another.  They are like hostile parties on board a ship, who both proceed to scuttle the ship so as to sink the other party.  Down goes the ship, with all the bally lot on board.  A few survivors swim and squeal among the bubbles—­and then silence.