“He’s a County Councillor,” murmured Un’ Benny.  “But, to be sure, it don’t follow.”

“What I say,” pursued Mr Pamphlett, shaking a forefinger at the group, “is that Rowett may be his own master, but the rest of you mustn’t take it into your heads that because our country happens to be at war you’ve an excuse to be idle.  ’Business as usual’—­that’s my motto:  and I doubt if Rowett here will find you a better-paying one, however long you listen to him.”  On secure ground now, Mr Pamphlett faced about, challenging the old man.

“Heigh?” said Un’ Benny with a well-affected start of surprise.  “There now!—­and I was allowin’ you’d had enough o’ my chatter.  ‘Business as usual’”—­he looked closely at Mr Pamphlett, and so let his gaze travel down the street, till it rested meditatively on the Bank doorway. “‘Business as usual’ . . . aye to be sure!  Well, well!”

There was nothing in this upon which Mr Pamphlett could retort.  So, after wagging his forefinger again at the group of men, he turned and left them.

On his way back he came face to face with Nicky-Nan, still solitary and seated on his bollard; and pulled up before him.

“Oh, by the way, Nanjivell!—­I hope you understand that the ejectment order still holds, and that I can take possession of the premises at any time?”

“That’s as may be,” answered Nicky-Nan slowly.  “You tell me so, and I hear you.”

“I tell you so, and it’s the law. . . .  But I’ve no wish to be hard, even after the trouble you’ve given me; and moreover this War may—­ er—­tend to interpose some delay in one or two small matters I was—­er—­projecting.  ‘Business as usual’ is, and has been—­as I have just been telling those fellows yonder—­my motto since the early days of the crisis “—­Mr Pamphlett could not accurately remember when he had first come upon that headline in his newspaper—­“’Business as usual,’ but with—­er—­modifications, of course.  As I remember, I told you yesterday that, if you behave yourself, I may relent so far as to give you a short grace.”

“Thank ‘ee,” said Nicky-Nan.  “I’m behavin’ myself—­that’s to say, so far as I know.”

“But I want to make one or two points very clear to you.  In the first place, what I’m about to say is strictly without prejudice?” Mr Pamphlett paused, upon a note of interrogation.

“I don’t rightly know what that means.  But no matter:  since you’re sayin’ it and I’m not.”

“Secondly, if I give you yet a few weeks’ grace, it is on condition that you bring me your rent regularly from this time forward.”

“Go on.”

“Thirdly, you are to understand plainly that, as I have the power and the right, so I shall use my own convenience, in ordering you to quit.  Happen this War will last a long time.”

“Then ’tis an ill wind that blows good to nobody.”

“Happen it may be a short one.  Or again, even if it lasts, I may change my mind and decide to start work on the premises at once.  There may be a depression in the building trade, for example, and even putting in hand a small job like that would help to restore public confidence.”