[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 made by this strike, Tench?

 

TENCH. Over fifty thousand, sir!

 

SCANTLEBURY, [Pained.] You don't say!

 

WILDER. We shall never got it back.

 

TENCH. No, sir.

 

WILDER. Who'd have supposed the men were going to stick out like this—nobody suggested that. [Looking angrily at TENCH.]

 

SCANTLEBURY. [Shaking his head.] I've never liked a fight—never shall.

 

ANTHONY. No surrender! [All look at him.]

 

WILDER. Who wants to surrender? [ANTHONY looks at him.] I—I want to act reasonably. When the men sent Roberts up to the Board in December—then was the time. We ought to have humoured him; instead of that the Chairman [Dropping his eyes before ANTHONY'S] er, we snapped his head off. We could have got them in then by a little tact.

 

ANTHONY. No compromise!

 

WILDER. There we are! This strike's been going on now since October, and as far as I can see it may last another six months. Pretty mess we shall be in by then. The only comfort is, the men'll be in a worse!

 

EDGAR. [To UNDERWOOD.] What sort of state are they really in, Frank?

 

UNDERWOOD. [Without expression.] Damnable!

 

WILDER. Well, who on earth would have thought they'd have held on like this without support!

 

UNDERWOOD. Those who know them.

 

WILDER. I defy anyone to know them! And what about tin? Price going up daily.