Presently he slipped into the manner of the lecturer, and the audience grew restless.

'I propose to ask myself a question--' he began, and from the back of the hall came--'And a damned sully answer ye'll get.' After that there was no more Tombs.
I followed with extreme nervousness, and to my surprise got a fair hearing.

I felt as mean as a mangy dog on a cold morning, for I hated to talk rot before soldiers--especially before a couple of Royal Scots Fusiliers, who, for all I knew, might have been in my own brigade.

My line was the plain, practical, patriotic man, just come from the colonies, who looked at things with fresh eyes, and called for a new deal.

I was very moderate, but to justify my appearance there I had to put in a wild patch or two, and I got these by impassioned attacks on the Ministry of Munitions.