A General Committee has been formed, with the Lord-Lieutenant himself for President.

The guarantee fund already runs to 1,500 pounds, and we shall get twice that amount promised before we've done.

In short, the thing's to come off some time next June, and I am Chairman of the Performance Committee, which (under Mr.Isidore Bamberger) arranges the actual Pageant, plans out the 'book,' recruits authors, performers, _et cetera_.

There are other committees, of course: Finance Committee, Ground and Grand Stand Committee, Costume Committee, and so on; but ours is the really interesting part of the work, and, sir, I want you to join us." "You flatter me, sir; or you fish with a narrow mesh indeed." "Why, I dare swear you would know more of the past history of Merchester than any man you met at the committee-table." Brother Copas eyed him shrewdly.
"H'm! ...

To be sure, I have been specialising of late on the Reformation period." "I--er--don't think we shall include any episode dealing specially with that period." "Too serious, perhaps ?" "Our--er--object is to sweep broadly down the stream of time, embodying the great part our city played for hundreds of years in the history of our nation--I may say of the Anglo-Saxon race." "I shouldn't, if I were you," said Brother Copas, "not even to please Mr.Bamberger.