They do look at him.]

 

WILDER. [Returning to his seat.] Well, all I can say is, if that's the Chairman's view, I don't know what we've come down here for.

 

ANTHONY. To tell the men that we've got nothing for them  [Grimly.] They won't believe it till they hear it spoken in plain English.

 

WILDER. H'm! Shouldn't be a bit surprised if that brute Roberts hadn't got us down here with the very same idea. I hate a man with a grievance.

 

EDGAR. [Resentfully.] We didn't pay him enough for his discovery. I always said that at the time.

 

WILDER. We paid him five hundred and a bonus of two hundred three years later. If that's not enough! What does he want, for goodness' sake?

 

TENCH. [Complainingly.] Company made a hundred thousand out of his brains, and paid him seven hundred—that's the way he goes on, sir.

 

WILDER. The man's a rank agitator! Look here, I hate the Unions. But now we've got Harness here let's get him to settle the whole thing.

 

ANTHONY. No! [Again they look at him.]

 

UNDERWOOD. Roberts won't let the men assent to that.

 

SCANTLEBURY. Fanatic! Fanatic!

 

WILDER. [Looking at ANTHONY.] And not the only one! [FROST enters from the hall.]

 

FROST. [To ANTHONY.] Mr. Harness from the Union, waiting, sir. The men are here too, sir.

 

[ANTHONY nods. UNDERWOOD goes to the door, returning with HARNESS, a pale, clean-shaven man with hollow cheeks, quick eyes, and lantern jaw—FROST has retired.]

 

UNDERWOOD. [Pointing to TENCH'S chair.] Sit there next the Chairman, Harness, won't you?

 

[At HARNESS'S appearance, the Board have drawn together, as it were, and turned a little to him, like cattle at a dog.]

 

HARNESS. [With a sharp look round, and a bow.] Thanks! [He sits, his accent is slightly nasal.] Well, gentlemen, we're going to do business at last, I hope.

 

WILDER. Depends on what you call business, Harness. Why don't you make the men come in?

 

HARNESS. [Sardonically.] The men are far more in the right than you are. The question with us is whether we shan't begin to support them again.

 

[He ignores them all, except ANTHONY, to whom he turns in speaking.]

 

ANTHONY. Support them if you like; we'll put in free labour and have done with it.

 

HARNESS. That won't do, Mr. Anthony. You can't get free labour, and you know it.

 

ANTHONY.