第47章

RECEIVES A REVELATION

Fully a week elapsed before Mr.Lavender recovered from the effects of the night which he had spent under his bed and again took his normal interest in the course of national affairs.That which at length tore him from his torpid condition and refixed his imagination was an article in one of, his journals on the League of Nations, which caused him suddenly to perceive that this was the most important subject of the day.

Carefully extracting the address of the society who had the matter in hand, he determined to go down forthwith and learn from their own lips how he could best induce everybody to join them in their noble undertaking.Shutting every window, therefore and locking Blink carefully into his study, he set forth and took the Tube to Charing Cross.

Arriving at the premises indicated he made his way in lifts and corridors till he came to the name of this great world undertaking upon the door of Room 443, and paused for a moment to recover from the astonishment he felt that the whole building at least was not occupied by the energies of such a prodigious association.

"Appearances, however, are deceptive," he thought; "and from a single grain of mustard-seed whole fields will flower." He knocked on the door, therefore, and receiving the reply, "Cub id," in a female voice, he entered a room where two young ladies with bad colds were feebly tapping type-writers.

"Can I see the President?" asked Mr.Lavender.

"Dot at the bobent," said one of the young ladies."Will the Secretary do?""Yes," replied Mr.Lavender "for I seek information."The young ladies indulged in secret confabulation, from which the perpetual word "He" alone escaped to Mr.Lavender's ears.

Then one of them slipped into an inner room, leaving behind her a powerful trail of eucalyptus.She came back almost directly, saying, "Go id."The room which Mr Lavender entered contained two persons, one seated at a bureau and the other pacing up and down and talking in a powerful bass voice.He paused, looked at Mr.Lavender from under bushy brows, and at once went on walking and talking, with a sort of added zest.

"This must be He," thought Mr.Lavender, sitting down to listen, for there was something about the gentleman which impressed him at once.He had very large red ears, and hardly a hair on his head, while his full, bearded face and prominent eyes were full of force and genius.

"It won't do a little bit, Titmarsh," he was saying, "to allow the politicians to meddle in this racket.We want men of genius, whose imaginations carry them beyond the facts of the moment.This is too big a thing for those blasted politicians.They haven't shown a sign so far of paying attention to what I've been telling them all this time.We must keep them out, Titmarsh.Machinery without mechanism, and a change of heart in the world.It's very simple.A single man of genius from each country, no pettifogging opposition, no petty prejudices."The other gentleman, whom Mr.Lavender took for the Secretary, and who was leaning his head rather wearily on his hand, interjected: "Quite so!

And whom would you choose besides yourself? In France, for instance?"He who was walking stopped a moment, again looked at Mr.Lavender intently, and again began to speak as if he were not there.

"France?" he said."There isn't anybody--Anatole's too old--there isn't anybody.""America, then?" hazarded the Secretary.

"America!" replied the other; "they haven't got even half a man.There's that fellow in Germany that I used to influence; but I don't know--no, Idon't think he'd be any good."

"D'Annunzio, surely----" began the Secretary.

"D'Annunzio? My God! D'Annunzio! No! There's nobody in Italy or Holland--she's as bankrupt as Spain; and there's not a cat in Austria.

Russia might, perhaps, give us someone, but I can't at the moment think of him.No, Titmarsh, it's difficult."Mr.Lavender had been growing more and more excited at each word he overheard, for a scheme of really stupendous proportions was shaping itself within him.He suddenly rose, and said: "I have an idea."The Secretary sat up as if he had received a Faradic shock, and he who was walking up and down stood still."The deuce you have, sir," he said.

"Yes," cried Mr.Lavender and in concentration and marvellous simplicity it has, I am sure, never been surpassed.It is clear to me, sir, that you, and you alone, must be this League of Nations.For if it is entirely in your hands there will be no delay.The plan will spring full fledged from the head of Jove, and this great and beneficial change in the lot of mankind will at once become an accomplished fact.There will be no need for keeping in touch with human nature, no call for patience and all that laborious upbuilding stone by stone which is so apt to discourage mankind and imperil the fruition of great reforms.No, sir;you--you must be this League, and we will all work to the end that tomorrow at latest there may be perfected this crowning achievement of the human species."The gentleman, who had commenced to walk again, looked furtively from Mr.

Lavender to the Secretary, and said:

"By Jingo! some idea!"

"Yes," cried Mr.Lavender, entranced that his grand notion should be at once accepted; "for it is only men like you who can both soaringly conceive and immediately concrete in action; and, what is more, there will be no fear of your tiring of this job and taking up another, for you will be IT; and one cannot change oneself."The gentleman looked at Mr.Lavender very suddenly at the words "tiring of this job," and transferred his gaze to the Secretary, who had bent his face down to his papers, and was smothering a snigger with his hand.

"Who are you, sir?" he said sharply.