Strife | Page 5

husband use, Mrs. Underwood?
UNDERWOOD. A quill!
SCANTLEBURY. The homely product of the goose. [He holds out
quills.]
UNDERWOOD. [Drily.] Thanks, if you can spare me one. [He takes a
quill.] What about lunch, Enid?
ENID. [Stopping at the double-doors and looking back.] We're going to
have lunch here, in the drawing-room, so you need n't hurry with your
meeting.
[WANKLIN and WILDER bow, and she goes out.]
SCANTLEBURY. [Rousing himself, suddenly.] Ah! Lunch! That
hotel-- Dreadful! Did you try the whitebait last night? Fried fat!
WILDER. Past twelve! Are n't you going to read the minutes, Tench?
TENCH. [Looking for the CHAIRMAN'S assent, reads in a rapid and
monotonous voice.] "At a Board Meeting held the 31st of January at
the Company's Offices, 512, Cannon Street, E.C. Present--Mr. Anthony
in the chair, Messrs. F. H. Wilder, William Scantlebury, Oliver
Wanklin, and Edgar Anthony. Read letters from the Manager dated
January 20th, 23d, 25th, 28th, relative to the strike at the Company's
Works. Read letters to the Manager of January 21st, 24th, 26th, 29th.

Read letter from Mr. Simon Harness, of the Central Union, asking for
an interview with the Board. Read letter from the Men's Committee,
signed David Roberts, James Green, John Bulgin, Henry Thomas,
George Rous, desiring conference with the Board; and it was resolved
that a special Board Meeting be called for February 7th at the house of
the Manager, for the purpose of discussing the situation with Mr.
Simon Harness and the Men's Committee on the spot. Passed twelve
transfers, signed and sealed nine certificates and one balance
certificate."
[He pushes the book over to the CHAIRMAN.]
ANTHONY. [With a heavy sigh.] If it's your pleasure, sign the same.
[He signs, moving the pen with difficulty. ]
WANKLIN. What's the Union's game, Tench? They have n't made up
their split with the men. What does Harness want this interview for?
TENCH. Hoping we shall come to a compromise, I think, sir; he's
having a meeting with the men this afternoon.
WILDER. Harness! Ah! He's one of those cold-blooded, cool-headed
chaps. I distrust them. I don't know that we didn't make a mistake to
come down. What time'll the men be here?
UNDERWOOD. Any time now.
WILDER. Well, if we're not ready, they'll have to wait--won't do them
any harm to cool their heels a bit.
SCANTLEBURY. [Slowly.] Poor devils! It's snowing. What weather!
UNDERWOOD. [With meaning slowness.] This house'll be the
warmest place they've been in this winter.
WILDER. Well, I hope we're going to settle this business in time for
me to catch the 6.30. I've got to take my wife to Spain to-morrow.
[Chattily.] My old father had a strike at his works in '69 ; just such a
February as this. They wanted to shoot him.
WANKLIN. What! In the close season?
WILDER. By George, there was no close season for employers then!
He used to go down to his office with a pistol in his pocket.
SCANTLEBURY. [Faintly alarmed.] Not seriously?
WILDER. [With finality.] Ended in his shootin' one of 'em in the legs.
SCANTLEBURY. [Unavoidably feeling his thigh.] No? Which?
ANTHONY. [Lifting the agenda paper.] To consider the policy of the
Board in relation to the strike. [There is a silence.]

WILDER. It's this infernal three-cornered duel--the Union, the men,
and ourselves.
WANKLIN. We need n't consider the Union.
WILDER. It's my experience that you've always got to, consider the
Union, confound them! If the Union were going to withdraw their
support from the men, as they've done, why did they ever allow them to
strike at all?
EDGAR. We've had that over a dozen times.
WILDER. Well, I've never understood it! It's beyond me. They talk of
the engineers' and furnace-men's demands being excessive--so they
are--but that's not enough to make the Union withdraw their support.
What's behind it?
UNDERWOOD. Fear of strikes at Harper's and Tinewell's.
WILDER. [With triumph.] Afraid of other strikes--now, that's a reason!
Why could n't we have been told that before?
UNDERWOOD. You were.
TENCH. You were absent from the Board that day, sir.
SCANTLEBURY. The men must have seen they had no chance when
the Union gave them up. It's madness.
UNDERWOOD. It's Roberts!
WILDER. Just our luck, the men finding a fanatical firebrand like
Roberts for leader. [A pause.]
WANKLIN. [Looking at ANTHONY.] Well?
WILDER. [Breaking in fussily.] It's a regular mess. I don't like the
position we're in; I don't like it; I've said so for a long time. [Looking at
WANKLIN.] When Wanklin and I came down here before Christmas it
looked as if the men must collapse. You thought so too, Underwood.
UNDERWOOD. Yes.
WILDER. Well, they haven't! Here we are, going from bad to worse
losing our customers--shares going down!
SCANTLEBURY. [Shaking his head.] M'm! M'm!
WANKLIN. What loss have we