VENABLES [liking him for the first time]. Good. But you are wrong.
There are no conditions, and we want you to make your speech. Now do
you accept?
JOHN [still suspicious]. If you make me the same offer after you have
read it. I insist on your reading it first.
VENABLES [sighing]. By all means.
[MAGGIE is in an agony as she sees JOHN hand the speech to his
leader. On the other hand, the COMTESSE thrills.]
But I assure you we look on the speech as a small matter. The
important thing is your intention of going to a division; and we
agree to that also.
JOHN [losing his head]. What's that?
VENABLES. Yes, we agree.
JOHN. But--but--why, you have been threatening to excommunicate me if
I dared.
VENABLES. All done to test you, Shand.
JOHN. To test me?
VENABLES. We know that a division on your Bill can have no serious
significance; we shall see to that. And so the test was to be whether
you had the pluck to divide the House. Had you been intending to talk
big in this speech, and then hedge, through fear of the Government,
they would have had no further use for you.
JOHN [heavily]. I understand. [But there is one thing he cannot
understand, which is, why VENABLES should be so sure that he is not
to hedge.]
VENABLES [turning over the pages carelessly]. Any of your good things
in this, Shand?
JOHN [whose one desire is to get the pages back].
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