And off went the procession to the music of its
own band down the road to Knype, and perhaps a hundred boys on board,
cheering. The men in charge then performed a curious act: they tore down
all the _Signal_ flagging, and replaced it with the emblem of the
_Daily_.
So that all the great and enlightened public wandering home in crowds
from the football match at Knype, had the spectacle of a _Daily_
procession instead of a _Signal_ procession, and could scarce
believe their eyes. And _Dailys_ were sold in quantities from the
cars. At Knype Station the procession curved and returned to Hanbridge,
and finally, after a multitudinous triumph, came to a stand with all its
_Daily_ bunting in front of the _Signal_ offices; and Denry
appeared from his lair. Denry's men fled with bundles.
"They're an hour and a half late," said Denry calmly to one of the
proprietors of the _Signal_, who was on the pavement. "But I've
managed to get them here. I thought I'd just look in to thank you for
giving such a good feed to our lads."
The telephones hummed with news of similar _Daily_ processions in
Longshaw and Bursley. And there was not a high-class private bar in the
district that did not tinkle with delighted astonishment at the brazen,
the inconceivable effrontery of that card, Denry Machin.
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