“Then, sir, all I have to say is that the services being past, the amount is too much.”

The shareholder sat down.

Old Jolyon waited a second and said: “I now propose that the report and⁠—”

The shareholder rose again: “May I ask if the Board realizes that it is not their money which⁠—I don’t hesitate to say that if it were their money.⁠ ⁠…”

A second shareholder, with a round, dogged face, whom Soames recognised as the late superintendent’s brother-in-law, got up and said warmly: “In my opinion, sir, the sum is not enough!”

The Rev. Mr. Boms now rose to his feet. “If I may venture to express myself,” he said, “I should say that the fact of the⁠—er⁠—deceased having committed suicide should weigh very heavily⁠— very heavily with our worthy chairman. I have no doubt it has weighed with him, for⁠—I say this for myself and I think for everyone present (hear, hear)⁠—he enjoys our confidence in a high degree. We all desire, I should hope, to be charitable. But I feel sure” (he-looked severely at the late superintendent’s brother-in-law) “that he will in some way, by some written expression, or better perhaps by reducing the amount, record our grave disapproval that so promising and valuable a life should have been thus impiously removed from a sphere where both its own interests and⁠—if I may say so⁠— our interests so imperatively demanded its continuance. We should not⁠—nay, we may not⁠—countenance so grave a dereliction of all duty, both human and divine.”