COLLIERS.  Come on, now—­come on!  Whoa!—­whoa!—­he’s a jibber—­go pretty now, go pretty!

VOICES (suddenly).  Lay hold o’ Houghton—­nab ’im—­seize ’im—­rats!—­ rats!—­bring ’im forrard!

ANABEL (in a loud, clear voice).  I never knew anything so RIDICULOUS.

VOICES (falsetto).  Ridiculous!  Oh, ridiculous!  Mind the step, dear!  —­I’m Mrs. Barlow!—­Oh, are you?—­Tweet—­tweet!

JOB ARTHUR.  Make a space, boys, make a space, boys, make a space.  (He stands with prisoners in a cleared space before the obelisk.) Now—­now—­quiet a minute—­we want to ask a few questions of these gentlemen.

VOICES.  Quiet!—­quiet!—­Sh-h-h!  Sh-h-h!—­Answer pretty—­answer pretty now!—­Quiet!—­Shh-h-h!

JOB ARTHUR.  We want to ask you, Mr. Gerald Barlow, why you have given occasion for this present trouble.

GERALD.  You are a fool.

VOICES.  Oh!—­oh!—­naughty Barlow!—­naughty baa-lamb—­answer pretty—­ be good baa-lamb—­baa—­baa!—­answer pretty when gentleman asks you.

JOB ARTHUR.  Quiet a bit Sh-h-h!—­We put this plain question to you, Mr. Barlow.  Why did you refuse to give the clerks this just and fair advance, when you knew that by refusing you would throw three thousand men out of employment?

GERALD.  You are a fool, I say.

VOICES.  Oh!—­oh!—­won’t do—­won’t do, Barlow—­wrong answer—­wrong answer—­be good baa-lamb—­naughty boy—­naughty boy!

JOB ARTHUR.  Quiet a bit now!—­If three thousand men ask you a just, straightforward question, do you consider they’ve no right to an answer?

GERALD.  I would answer you with my foot.

VOICES (amid a threatening scuffle).  Da-di-da!  Hark ye—­hark ye!  Oh—­whoa—­whoa a bit!—­won’t do!—­won’t do!—­naughty—­naughty—­say you’re sorry—­say you’re sorry—­kneel and say you’re sorry—­kneel and beg pardon!

JOB ARTHUR.  Hold on a bit—­keep clear!

VOICES.  Make him kneel—­make him kneel—­on his knees with him!

JOB ARTHUR.  I think you’d better kneel down.

(The crowd press on GERALD—­he struggles—­they hit him behind the knees, force him down.)

OLIVER.  This is shameful and unnecessary.

VOICES.  All of ’em—­on your knees—­all of’ em—­on their knees!

(The seize OLIVER and WILLIE and ANABEL, hustling.  ANABEL kneels quietly—­the others struggle.)

WILLIE.  Well, of all the damned, dirty, cowardly—–­

VOICES.  Shut up, Houghton—­shut him up—­squeeze him!

OLIVER.  Get off me—­let me alone—­I’ll kneel.

VOICES.  Good little doggies—­nice doggies—­kneel and beg pardon—­ yap-yap—­answer—­make him answer!

JOB ARTHUR (holding up his hand for silence).  It would be better if you answered straight off, Barlow.  We want to know why you prevented that advance.