第3章

“Brushdidseemamitedisgruntled，“heremarked。

SomewhattoAusten\'sembarrassment，Mr。Mender\'sfriendswerepushingforward。Onegrizzledveterantookhimbythehandandlookedthoughtfullyintohisface。

“I\'velivedagoodmanyyears，“hesaid，butIneverheerd\'emtalkeduptolikethat。You\'remycandidateforgovernor。“

CHAPTERVI

ENTERTHELION

Itisafact，asShakespearehassoterselyhinted，thatfamesometimescomesinthelineofduty。Tobesure，ifAustenVanehadbeenTimothySmith，theMendercasemightnothavemadequitesomanyripplesinthepondwithwhichthisstoryisconcerned。Austendidwhathethoughtwasright。Intheopinionofmanyofhisfather\'sfriendswhomhemetfromtimetotimehehadmadeagood-sizedstridetowardsruin，andtheydidnothesitatetotellhimso——Mr。Chipman，presidentoftheRiptonNationalBank；Mr。Greene，secretaryandtreasureroftheHawkeyePaperCompany，whosuggestedwithallkindnessthat，howevernobleitmaybe，itdoesn\'tpaytotiltatwindmills。

“Notunlessyouwreckthewindmill，“answeredAusten。AnewandveryrevolutionarypointofviewtoMr。Greene，whorepeatedittoProfessorBrewer，urgingthatgentlemantotakeAusteninhand。Buttheprofessorburstoutlaughing，andputthesayingintocirculation。

Mr。SilasTredway，whoselistofdirectorshipsistoolongtoprint，alsoundertooktoremonstratewiththesonofhisoldfriend，HilaryVane。

Theyounglawyerheardhimrespectfully。Thecashiersofsomeofthesegentlemen，whowereyoungermen，venturedtosay——whenoutofhearing——

thattheyadmiredthechampionshipofMr。Mender，butitwouldneverdo。

Tothese，likewise，Austenlistenedgood-naturedlyenough，anddidnotattempttocontradictthem。Changingtheangleofthesun-dialdoesnotaffectthetimeofday。

ItwasnotsurprisingthatyoungTomGaylord，whenhecamebackfromNewYorkandheardofAusten\'svictory，shouldhaverushedtohisofficeandcongratulatedhiminaroughbutheartyfashion。EventhoughAustenhadwonasuitagainsttheGaylordLumberCompany，youngTomwouldhavecongratulatedhim。OldTomwasadifferentmatter。OldTom，hobblingalongunderthemaples，squintedatAustenandhelduphisstick。

“Damnyou，you\'realawyer，ain\'tyou？“criedtheoldman。

Austen，wellusedtothiskindofgreetingfromMr。Gaylord，repliedthathedidn\'tthinkhimselfmuchofone。

“Damnit，Isayyouare。SomedayImayhaveuseforyou，“saidoldTom，andwalkedon。

“No，“saidyoungTom，afterwards，inexplanationofthisextraordinaryattitudeofhisfather，“itisn\'tprinciple。He\'shadarowwiththeNortheasternaboutlumberrates，andswearshe\'lllivetillhegetsevenwith\'em。“

IfProfessorBrewer(Ripton\'smostclear-sightedcitizen)hadmadethestatementthatHilaryVane——awaydowninthebottomofhisheart——wassecretlyproudofhisson，theprofessorwouldprobablyhavelosthisplaceontheschoolboard，thewaterboard，andthelibrarycommittee。

Thewaytheworldly-wiseprofessordiscoveredthesecretwasthis:hehadgonetoBradfordtohearthecase，forhehadbeenadearfriendofSarahAusten。TwodayslaterHilaryVanesawtheprofessoronhislittleporch，andlingered。Mr。Brewersuspectedwhy，ledcarefullyuptothesubject，andnotbeingdiscouraged——exceptbynumerousgrunts——gavethefatheranaccountoftheproceedingsbynomeansunfavourabletotheson。

Somepeoplelikeparegoric；theHonourableHilarytookhiswithoutunduesquirming，withnovisibleeffectstoAusten。

Lifeintheofficecontinued，withoneortwoexceptions，theeventenorofitsway。Apparently，sofarastheHonourableHilarywasconcerned，hissonhadneverbeentoBradford。ButtheHonourableBrushBascom，whenhecameonmysteriousbusinesstocallonthechiefcounsel，nolongersatonAusten\'stable；thiswastrueofotherfeudallordsandretainers:ofMr。NatBillings，who，bytheway，didnotfilehisdraftafterall。NotthatMr。Billingswasn\'tpolite，butheindulgednolongerinslowwinksattheexpenseofthehonourableRailroadCommission。

PerhapsthemostcuriousresultoftheMeadercasetoberemarkedinpassing，wasuponMr。HamiltonTooting。Austen，exceptwhenhefledtothehills，wasusuallythelasttoleavetheoffice，Mr。Tootingoftenthefirst。ButoneeveningMr。Tootingwaiteduntiltheforcehadgone，andenteredAusten\'sroomwithhishandoutstretched。

“Putherthere，Aust，“hesaid。

Austenputherthere。

“I\'vebeenexercisin\'mythinkersomethelastfewmonths，“observedMr。

Tooting，seatinghimselfonthedesk。

“Aren\'tyouafraidofnervousprostration，Ham？“

“Say，“exclaimedMr。Tooting，withavexedlaugh，“whyareyoualwaysjollyingme？Youain\'tanyolderthanIam。“

“I\'mnotasold，Ham。Idon\'tbegintohaveyourknowledgeoftheworld。“

“Comeoff，“saidMr。Tooting，whodidn\'tknowexactlyhowtotakethiscompliment。“Icameinheretohaveaserioustalk。I\'vebeenthinkingitover，andIdon\'tknowbutwhatyoudidright。“

“Well，Ham，ifyoudon\'tknow，Idon\'tknowhowIamtoconvinceyou。“

“Holdon。Don\'tgotwistin\'aroundthatway——youmakemedizzy。“Heloweredhisvoiceconfidentially，althoughtherewasnoonewithinfivewallsofthem。“Iknowthedifferencebetweenagoldbrickandagovernmentbond，anyhow。Ibelievebuckingtherailroad\'sgoingtopayinayearorso。Igotontoitassoonasyoudid，Iguess，butwhenafeller\'swornthecollaraslongasIhaveandhastolive，itain\'teasytocutloose——youunderstand。“

“Iunderstand，“answeredAusten，gravely。

“IthoughtI\'dletyouknowIdidn\'ttakeanytoomuchtroublewithMeaderlastsummertogettheoldbirdtoacceptacompromise。“

“Thatwasgoodofyou，Ham。“

“Iknewwhatyouwasupto，“saidMr。Tooting，givingAustenafriendlypokewithhiscigar。

“Youshowedyourusualacumen，Mr。Tooting，“saidAusten，asherosetoputonhiscoat。Mr。Tootingregardedhimuneasily。

“You\'readeepone，Aust，“hedeclared；“somedayyouand，memustgettogether。“

Mr。Billings\'desireforultimatejusticenotbeinganystrongerthanAustensuspected，induetimeMr。Meadergothismoney。Hiscounselwouldhavenoneofit，——adecisionnotatallpractical，andonthewholedisappointing。Therewas，tobesure，aninfluxintoAusten\'sofficeofpeoplewhohadbeenrunoverinthepast，anditwasAusten\'sunhappydutytopointouttothesethattheyhadsigned(attherequestofvariousMr。Tootings)littleslipsofpaperwhicharetechnicallyknownasreleases。Butthefirsthintofareallymaterialadvantagetobederivedfromhiscaseagainsttherailroadcamefromawhollyunexpectedsource，intheshapeofaletterinthemailoneAugustmorning。

“DEARSIR:HavingremarkedwithsomeinteresttheverdictforaclientofyoursagainsttheUnitedNortheasternRailroads，Iwishyouwouldcallandseemeatyourearliestconvenience。

Yourstruly，“HUMPHREYCREWE。“

Althoughhiscuriositywasaroused，Austenwasoftwomindswhethertoanswerthissummons，thetruthbeingthatMr。Crewehadnotmade，ontheoccasionsonwhichtheyhadhadintercourse，themostfavourableofimpressions。However，itisnotforthestrugglinglawyertoscornanyhonourablebrief，especiallyfromagentleman。ofstocksandbondsandvariedinterestslikeMr。Crewe，withwhomcontentionsofmagnitudeareinevitablyassociated。AshespunalongbehindPepperontheLeithroadthatclimbedWillowBrookontheafternoonhehadmadetheappointment，Austensmiledtohimselfoverhisanticipations，andyet——beinghuman-

lethisfancyplay。

ThebroadacresofWedderburnstretchedacrossmanyhighways，butthemanor-house(asithadbeencalled)stoodonaneminencewhenceonecouldlookformilesdowntheYaleoftheBlue。Ithadoncebeenafarmhouse，butgraduallythetailhadbeguntowagthedog，andthefarmhousebecame，liketheoriginalstoneoutofwhichtheIrishmanmadethesoup，difficulttofind。Oncetheedificehadbeenontheroad，buttheroadhadlongagobeenremovedtoarespectfuldistance，andAustenenteredbetweentwomassivepillarsbuiltofgraniteblocksonamusicalgraveldrive。

HumphreyCrewewasontheporch，hishandsinhispockets，asAustendroveup。

“Hello，“hesaid，inavoiceprobablymeanttobehospitable，butwhichhadaperemptoryring，“don\'tstandonceremony。Hitchyourbeastandcomealongin。“

Having，asitwere，superintendedthesecuringofPepper，Mr。Creweledthewaythroughthehousetothestudy，pausingonceortwicetopointouttoAustenacarvedivoryelephantprocuredatgreatexpenseinChina，andapieceoftapestryequallydifficultofpurchase。Thestudyitselfwasnomereloungingplaceofamanofpleasure，butsoberandformidablebookswerescatteredthroughthecases:“Turner\'sEvolutionoftheRailroad，““Graham\'sPracticalForestry，““Eldridge\'sFinance“；whilewholeshelvesofmodernhusbandryproclaimedthatMr。HumphreyCrewewasnoamateurfarmer。Therewaslikewiseashelfdevotedtoroadbuilding，severaltoknotty-lookingpamphlets，andhalfawallofneatlylabelledpigeonholes。Fordecoration，therewasanoargarnishedwitharibbon，andseveralgroupsofcollegeundergraduates，mostlyeitherinpuffedtiesorscantyattire，andalwaysprominentinthesegroups，andalwaysunmistakable，wasMr。HumphreyCrewehimself。

Mr。Crewewassilentawhile，thatthisformidablearrayofthingsmightmaketheproperimpressionuponhisvisitor。

“Itwasluckyyoucameto-day，Vane，“hesaidatlength。“IamdueinNewYorkto-morrowforadirectors\'meeting，andIhaveaconferenceinChicagowithaboardoftrusteesofwhichIamamemberonthethird。

Lookingatmyarrayofpamphlets，eh？I\'vebeenyearsincollectingthem，——eversinceIleftcollege。Thoseonrailroadsoughtespeciallytointerestyou——I\'msomewhatofarailroadmanmyself。“

“Ididn\'tknowthat，“saidAusten。

“Hadtwoorthreeblocksofstockinsubsidiarylinesthathadtobelookedafter。Itwasanuisanceatfirst，“saidMr。Crewe，“butIdidn\'tshirkit。ImadeupmymindI\'dgettothebottomoftherailroadproblem，andIdid。It\'snousedoingathingatallunlessyoudoitwell。“Mr。Crewe，hishandsstillinhispockets，facedAustensmilingly。“NowI\'llbetyoudidn\'tknowIwasarailroadmanuntilyoucameinhere。Totellthetruth，itwasaboutarailroadmatterthatI

sentforyou。“

Mr。Crewelitacigar，buthedidnotofferonetoAusten，ashehadtoMr。Tooting。“Iwantedtoseewhatyouwerelike，“hecontinued，withrefreshingfrankness。“Ofcourse，I\'dseenyouontheroad。Butyoucangetmoreofanideaofamanbytalkin\'tohim，youknow。“

“Youcanifhe\'lltalk，“saidAusten，whowasbeginningtoenjoyhisvisit。

Mr。Creweglancedathimkeenly。Fewmenarefoolsatallpointsofthecompass，andMr。Crewewasfarfromthis。

“YoudidwellinthatlittlecaseyouhadagainsttheNortheastern。I

heardaboutit。“

“Ididmybest，“answeredAusten，andhesmiledagain。

“Assomegreatmanhasremarked，“observedMr。Crewe，“itisn\'twhatwedo，it\'showwedoit。Takepainsoverthesmallercases，andthelargercaseswillcomeofthemselves，eh？“

“Iliveinhope，“saidAusten，wonderinghowsoonthislargercasewasgoingtounfolditself。

“Letmesee，“saidMr。Crewe，“isn\'tyourfatherthechiefattorneyinthisStatefortheNortheastern？Howdoyouhappentobeontheotherside？“

“Bythehappyaccidentofobtainingaclient，“saidAusten。

Mr。Creweglancedathimagain。Inspiteofhimself，respectwasgrowinginhim。Hehadexpectedtofindacertainamountofeagernessandsubserviency——thoughveiled；herewasamanofdifferentcalibrethanhelookedforinRipton。

“Thefactis，“hedeclared，“IhaveagrievanceagainsttheNortheasternRailroads，andIhavemadeupmymindthatyouarethemanforme。“

“Youmayhavereasontoregretyourchoice，“Austensuggested。

“Ithinknot，“repliedMr。Crewe，promptly；“IbelieveIknowamanwhenIseeone，andyouinspiremewithconfidence。Thismatterwillhaveadoubleinterestforyou，asIunderstandyouarefondofhorses。“

“Horses？“

“Yes，“Mr。Crewecontinued，gainingalittleheatattheword，“Iboughtthefinest-lookin\'pairyoueversawinNewYorkthisspring，——all-aroundaction，manners，conformation，everything；I\'llshow\'emtoyou。Oneof\'em\'sallrightnow；thisconfoundedrailroadinjuredtheothergettin\'

himuphere。I\'veputinaclaim。Theysaytheydidn\'t，mymansaystheydid。Hetellsmethehorsewasthrownviolentlyagainstthesidesofthecarseveraltimes。He\'sinternallyinjured。Itold\'emI\'dsue\'em，andI\'vedecidedthatyouarethemantotakethecase——onconditions。“

Austen\'ssenseofhumoursavedhim，——andMr。HumphreyCrewehadbeguntointeresthim。Heroseandwalkedtothewindowandlookedoutforafewmomentsovertheflowergardenbeforehereplied:——

“Onwhatconditions？“

“Well，“saidMr。Crewe，“frankly，Idon\'twanttopaymorethanthehorseisworth，andit\'sbusinesstosettleonthefeeincaseyouwin。I

thought——“

“Youthought，“saidAusten，“thatImightnotchargeasmuchasthenextman。“

“Well，“saidMr。Crewe，“Iknewthatifyoutookthecase，you\'dfightitthrough，andIwanttogetevenwith\'em。TheirclaimagenthadtheimpudencetosuggestthatthehorsehadbeendoctoredbythedealerinNewYork。TotellmethatI，whohavebeenbuyinghorsesallmylife，wasfooled。Theveterinaryswearstheanimalisruptured。I\'macitizenofAvalonCounty，thoughmanypeoplecallmeasummerresident；I\'vedonebusinesshereandhelpedimprovetheneighbourhoodforyears。ItwillbemypolicytoemployhometalentAvalonCountylawyers，forinstance。I

maysay，withoutindiscretion，thatIintendfromnowontotakeevenagreaterinterestinpublicaffairs。Thetroubleisinthiscountrythatmeninmypositiondonotfeeltheirresponsibilities。“

“Publicspiritisararevirtue，“Austenremarked，seeingthathewasexpectedtosaysomething。“AvalonCountyappreciatesthecompliment，——

ifImaybepermittedtoanswerforit。“

“Iwanttodotherightthing，“saidMr。Crewe。“Infact，IhavealmostmadeupmymindtogototheLegislaturethisyear。Iknowitwouldbeasacrificeoftime，inasense，andallthat，but——“Hepaused，andlookedatAusten。

“TheLegislatureneedsleavening。“

“Precisely，“exclaimedMr。Crewe，“andwhenIlookaroundmeandseethethingscryingtobedoneinthisState，andnolawmakerwithsenseandforesightenoughtoproposethem，itmakesmesick。Now，forinstance，“

hecontinued，androsewithanevidentattempttoassaulttheforestryshelves。ButAustenrosetoo。

“I\'dliketogooverthatwithyou，Mr。Crewe，“saidhe，“butIhavetobebackinRipton。“

“Howaboutmycase？“hishostdemanded，withareturntohisformerabruptness。

“Whataboutit？“askedAusten。

“Areyougoingtotakeit？“

“Strugglinglawyersdon\'trefusebusiness。“

“Well，“saidMr。Crewe，“that\'ssensible。Butwhatareyougoingtocharge？“

“Now，“saidAusten，withentiregoodhumour，“whenyougetonthatground，youaredealingnolongerwithonevoraciousunit，butwithawholeprofession，——aprofession，youwillallowmetoadd，whichindignityissecondtonone。Inaccordancewiththepracticeofthebestmeninthatprofession，IwillchargeyouwhatIbelieveisfair——notwhatIthinkyouareableandwillingtopay。Shouldyoudisputethebill，Iwillnotstooptoquarrelwithyou，but，trytoliveonbreadandbutterawhilelonger。“

Mr。Crewewassilentforamoment。Itwouldnotbeexacttosayuncomfortable，foritistobedoubtedwhetherheevergotso。Buthefeltdimlythattherelationsofpatronandpatronizedwerebecomingsomewhatjumbled。

“Allright，“saidhe，“Iguesswecanletitgoatthat。Hello！Whatthedeucearethosewomendoinghereagain？“

ThisirrelevantexclamationwascausedbythesightthroughtheopenFrenchwindow——ofthreeladiesintheflowergarden，twoofwhomwerebendingoverthebeds。Thethird，uponwhosefigureAusten\'seyeswereriveted，wasseatedonastonebenchsetinarecessofpines，andlookingoffintotheYaleoftheBlue。Withnogreateagerness，butwithoutapologytoAusten，Mr。Crewesteppedoutofthewindowandapproachedthem；andasthiswasasgoodawayasanytohishorseandbuggy，Austenfollowed。Oneoftheladiesstraightenedattheirappearance，scrutinizedthemthroughtheglassessheheldinherhand，andAustenimmediatelyrecognizedherastheirreproachableMrs。Pomfret。

“Wedidn\'tmeantodisturbyou，Humphrey，“shesaid。“Weknewyouwouldbeengagedinbusiness，butItoldAliceaswedrovebyIcouldnotresiststoppingforonemorelookatyourCanterburybells。Iknewyouwouldn\'tmind，butyoumustn\'tleaveyour——affairs，——notforaninstant。“

Theword“affairs“wasaccompaniedbyabriefinspectionofAustenVane。

“That\'sallright，“answeredMr。Crewe；“itdoesn\'tcostanythingtolookatflowers，that\'swhatthey\'refor。Costsomethingtoput\'emin。I

gotthatlittlefellerRidleytolay\'emout——IbelieveItoldyou。He\'sjustbeginning。Hello，Alice。“

“Ithinkhediditverywell，Humphrey，“saidMissPomfret。

“Passably，“saidMr。Crewe。“ItoldhimwhatIwantedanddrewaroughsketchofthegardenandthecolourscheme。“

“Thenyoudidit，andnotMr。Ridley。Irathersuspectedit，“saidMrs。

Pomfret；“youhavesuchclearandpracticalideasaboutthings，Humphrey。“

“It\'ssimpleenough，“saidMr。Crewe，deprecatingly，“afteryou\'veseenafewhundredgardensandgetthegeneralunderlyingprinciple。“

“It\'sveryclever，“Alicemurmured。

“Notatall。Alittleapplicationwilldowonders。Acertaindefinitecolourmassedhere，anotherdefinitecolourthere，andsoforth。“

Mr。CrewespokeasthoughAlice\'spraiseirritatedhimslightly。Hewavedhishandtoindicatetheschemeingeneral，andglancedatVictoriaonthestonebench。Fromher(Austenthought)seemedtoemanateasilentbutmirthfulcriticism，althoughshecontinuedtogazepersistentlydownthevalley，apparentlyunawareoftheirvoices。Mr。Crewelookedasifhewouldhavelikedtoreachher，butthetwoladiesfilledthenarrowpath，andMrs。Pomfretputherfingersonhissleeve。

“Humphrey，youmustexplainittous。IamsointerestedingardensI\'mgoingtohaveoneifElectricsincreasetheirdividend。“

Mr。Crewebegan，withnogreatardour，todescantonthetheoryofplanting，andAustenresolvedtoremainpocketedandignorednolonger。

HeretracedhisstepsandmadehiswayrapidlybyanotherpathtowardsVictoria，whoturnedherheadathisapproach，androse。Heacknowledgedaninwardagitationwiththevisioninhiseyeofthetall，whitefigureagainstthepines，cladwiththeartwhich，inmysterioussimplicity，effacesitself。

“Iwaswondering，“shesaid，asshegavehimherhand，“howlongitwouldbebeforeyouspoketome。“

“Yougavemenochance，“saidAusten，quickly。

“Doyoudeserveone？“sheasked。

Beforehecouldanswer，Mr。Crewe\'sexplanationofhistheorieshadcomelamelytoahalt。AustenwasawareoftherenewedscrutinyofMrs。

Pomfret，andthenMr。Crewe，whomnosocialmanaclescouldshackle，hadbrokenpastherandmadehiswaytothem。HecontinuedtotreatthegroundonwhichAustenwasstandingasunoccupied。

“Hello，Victoria，“hesaid，“youdon\'tknowanythingaboutgardens，doyou？“

“Idon\'tbelieveyoudoeither，“wasVictoria\'ssurprisingreply。

Mr。Crewelaughedatthispleasantry。

“Howareyougoingtoproveit？“hedemanded。

“Bycomparingwhatyou\'vedonewithFreddieRidley\'soriginalplan，“saidVictoria。

Mr。Crewewasnettled。

“Ridleyhasalottolearn，“heretorted。“Hehadnoconceptionofwhatwasappropriatehere。“

“Freddiewasweak，“saidVictoria，butheneededthemoney。Don\'tyouknowMr。Vane？“

“Yes，“saidMr。Crewe，shortly，“I\'vebeentalkingtohim——onbusiness。“

“Oh，“saidVictoria，“Ihadnomeansofknowing。Mrs。Pomfret，IwanttointroduceMr。Vane，andMissPomfret，Mr。Vane。“

Mrs。Pomfret，whohadbeenhoveringontheoutskirtsofthisduel，inclinedherheadthefractionofaninch，butAliceputoutherhandwithhersweetestmanner。

“Whendidyouarrive？“sheasked。

“Well，thefactis，Ihaven\'tarrivedyet，“saidAusten。

“Notarrived“exclaimedAlice，withapuzzledglanceintoVictoria\'slaughingeyes。

“PerhapsHumphreywillhelpyoualong，“Victoriasuggested，turningtohim。“Hemightbeinducedtogiveyouhiscelebratedgrievanceabouthishorses。“

“Ihavegivenittohim，“saidMr。Crewe，briefly。

“Cheerup，Mr。Vane，yourfortuneismade，“saidVictoria。

“Victoria，“saidMrs。Pomfret，inhermostimperialvoice，“weoughttobegoinginstantly，orweshan\'thavetimetodropyouattheHammonds\'。“

“I\'lltakeyouoverinthenewmotorcar，“saidMr。Crewe，withhisairofconferringaspecialtrain。

“Howmuchisgasolinebythegallon？“inquiredVictoria。

“Ididafavouronceforthelocalmanager，andgetaspecialprice，“

saidMr。Crewe。

“Humphrey，“saidMrs。Pomfret，takinghishand，“don\'tforgetyouarecomingtodinnerto-night。Fourpeoplegaveoutatthelastminute，andtherewillbejustAliceandmyself。I\'veaskedoldMr。Fitzhugh。“

“Allright，“saidMr。Crewe，“I\'llhavethemotorcarbroughtaround。“

Thelatterpartofthisremarkwas，needlesstosay，addressedtoVictoria。

“It\'sawfullygoodofyou，Humphrey，“sheanswered，“buttheHammondsareontheroadtoRipton，andIamgoingtoaskMr。Vanetodrivemedowntherebehindthatadorablehorseofhis。“

Thisannouncementproducedavariedeffectuponthosewhoheardit，althoughallexperiencedsurprise。Mrs。Pomfret，inadditiontoanangerwhichshecontrolledonlyastheresultoflongpractice，washorrified，andoncemorelevelledherglassesatAusten。

“Ithink，Victoria，youhadbettercomewithus，“shesaid。“Weshallhaveplentyoftime，ifwehurry。“

BythistimeAustenhadrecoveredhisbreath。

“I\'llbereadyinaninstant，“hesaid，andmadebriefbutpoliteadieustothethreeothers。

“Good-by，“saidAlice，vaguely。

“Letmeknowwhenanythingdevelops，“saidMr。Crewe，withhisbacktohisattorney。

AustenfoundVictoria，hercolourheightenedalittle，waitingforhimbythedriveway。ThePomfretshadjustdrivenoff，andMr。Crewewasnowheretobeseen。

“Idonotknowwhatyouwillthinkofmefortakingthisforgranted，Mr。

Vane，“shesaidashetookhisseatbesideher，“butIcouldn\'tresistthechanceofdrivingbehindyourhorse。“

“Irealized，“heansweredsmilingly，“thatPepperwastheattraction，andIhavemorereasonthanevertobegratefultohim。“

SheglancedcovertlyattheVaneprofile，atthesure，restraininghandsonthereinswhichgovernedwithsoniceatouchthemettleofthehorse。

Hissilencegavehertimetoanalyzeagainherinterestinthisman，whichreneweditselfateverymeeting。Inthegardenshehadbeenstruckbythesuperiorityofanaturewhichsetatnaughtwhathadbeen，tosomesmallerspirits，adifficultsituation。Sherecognizedthisqualityasinborn，but，notknowingofSarahAusten，shewonderedwherehegotit。

Nowitwasthefactthatherefrainedfromcommentthatpleasedhermost。

“DidHumphreyactuallysendforyoutotakeuptheinjuredhorsecase？“

sheasked。

Austenflushed。

“I\'mafraidhedid。Youseemtoknowallaboutit，“headded。

“KnowallaboutitEveryonewithintwentymilesofLeithknowsaboutit。I\'msurethehorsewasdoctoredwhenheboughthim。“

“Takecare，youmaybecalledasawitness。“

“WhatIwanttoknowis，whyyouacceptedsuchasillycase，“saidVictoria。

Austenlookedquizzicallyintoherupturnedface，andshedroppedhereyes。

“That\'sexactlywhatIshouldhaveaskedmyself，——afterawhile，“hesaid。

Shelaughedwithadeliciousunderstandingof“afterawhile。“

“Isupposeyouthinkmefrightfullyforward，“shesaid，inaloweredvoice，“invitingmyselftodriveandaskingyousuchaquestionwhenI

scarcelyknowyou。ButIjustcouldn\'tgoonwithMrs。Pomfret，——sheirritatedmeso，——andmyfrontteetharetoovaluabletodrivewithHumphreyCrewe。“

Austensmiled，andsecretlyagreedwithher。

“Ishouldhaveoffered，ifIhaddared，“hesaid。

“Dared！Ididn\'tknowthatwasyourfailing。Idon\'tbelieveyoueventhoughtofit。“

“Nevertheless，theideaoccurredtome，andterrifiedme，“saidAusten。

“Why？“sheasked，turninguponhimsuddenly。“Whydiditterrifyyou？“

“Ishouldhavebeenpresuminguponanaccidentalacquaintance，whichI

hadnomeansofknowingyouwishedtocontinue，“hereplied，staringathishorse\'shead。

“AndI？“Victoriaasked。“Presumptionmultipliestenfoldinawoman，doesn\'tit？“

“Awomanconfers，“saidAusten。

Shesmiled，butwithalightinhereyes。Thissimplesentenceseemedtorevealyetmoreofaninnermandifferentfromsomeofthosewithwhomherlifehadbeencast。ItwasanAmericanpointofview——thischoosingtobelievethatthewomanconferred。AfterofferingherselfashispassengerVictoria，too，hadhadamomentofterror:theactionhadbeentheresultofanimpulsewhichshedidnotcaretoattempttodefine。

Shechangedthesubject。

“YouhavebeenwinninglaurelssinceIsawyoulastsummer，“shesaid。

“IhearincidentallyyouhavemadeourfriendZebMeaderarichman。“

“Asrichesgo，inthetownofMercer，“Austenlaughed。“Asformylaurels，theyhavenotyetbeguntochafe。“

Herewasatopichewouldhaveavoided，andyethewascurioustodiscoverwhatherattitudewouldbe。Hehadantagonizedherfather，andthefactthathewasthesonofHilaryVanehadgivenhisantagonismprominence。

“IamgladyoudiditforZeb。“

“Ishouldhavedoneitforanybody——muchasIlikeZeb，“herepliedbriefly。

Sheglancedathim。

“Itwas——courageousofyou，“shesaid。

“Ihaveneverlookeduponitinthatlight，“heanswered。“MayIaskyouhowyouheardofit？“

Shecoloured，butfacedthequestion。

“Ihearditfrommyfather，atfirst，andItookaninterest——onZebMeader\'saccount，“sheaddedhastily。

Austenwassilent。

“Ofcourse，“shecontinued，“Ifeltalittlelikeboastingofan\'accidentalacquaintance\'withthemanwhosavedZebMeader\'slife。“

Austenlaughed。ThenhedrewPepperdowntoawalk，andturnedtoher。

“Thepowerofmakingitmorethananaccidentalacquaintancelieswithyou，“hesaidquietly。

“Ihavealwayshadanideathataggressionwasaman\'sprerogative，“

Victoriaansweredlightly。“AndseeingthatyouhavenotappearedatFairviewforsomethingoverayear，Icanonlyconcludethatyoudonotchoosetoexerciseitinthiscase。“

Austenwasinacruelquandary。

“Ididwishtocome，“heansweredsimply，“but——thefactthatIhavehadadisagreementwithyourfatherhas——madeitdifficult。“

“Nonsense“exclaimedVictoria；“justbecauseyouhavewonasuitagainsthisrailroad。Youdon\'tknowmyfather，Mr。Vane。Heisn\'tthekindofmanwithwhomthatwouldmakeanydifference。Yououghttotalkitoverwithhim。HethinksyouwerefoolishtotakeZebMeader\'sside。“

“Andyou？“Austendemandedquickly。

“Yousee，I\'mawoman，“saidVictoria，“andI\'mprejudiced——forZebMeader。Womenarealwaysprejudiced，——that\'sourtrouble。ItseemedtomethatZebwasold，andunfortunate，andoughttobecompensated，sinceheisunabletowork。ButofcourseIsupposeIcan\'tbeexpectedtounderstand。“

Itwastruethatshecouldnotbeexpectedtounderstand。HemightnottellherthathisdifferencewithMr。Flintwasnotamerematteroftakingasmalldamagesuitagainsthisrailroad，butafundamentalone。

AndAustenrecognizedthatthejustificationofhisattitudemeantanarraignmentofVictoria\'sfather。

“Iwishyoumightknowmyfatherbetter，Mr。Vane，“shewenton，“IwishyoumightknowhimasIknowhim，ifitwerepossible。Yousee，Ihavebeenhisconstantcompanionallmylife，andIthinkveryfewpeopleunderstandhimasIdo，andrealizehisfinequalities。Hemakesnoattempttoshowhisbestsidetotheworld。Hislifehasbeenspentinfighting，andIamafraidheisapttomeettheworldonthatfooting。

Heisamanofsuchdevotiontohisdutythatherarelyhasadaytohimself，andIhaveknownhimtositupuntilthesmallhoursofthemorningtosettlesomelittlematterofjustice。IdonotthinkIambetrayinghisconfidencewhenIsaythatheisimpressedwithyourability，andthathelikedyourmannertheonlytimeheevertalkedtoyou。Hebelievesthatyouhavegot，insomeway，awrongideaofwhatheistryingtodo。Whydon\'tyoucomeupandtalktohimagain？“

“Iamafraidyourkindnessleadsyoutooverratemyimportance，“Austenreplied，withmingledfeelings。Victoria\'sconfidenceinherfathermadethesituationallthemorehopeless。

“I\'msureIdon\'t，“sheansweredquickly；“eversince——eversinceIfirstlaideyesuponyouIhavehadakindofbeliefinyou。“

“Belief？“heechoed。

“Yes，“shesaid，“beliefthat——thatyouhadafuture。Ican\'tdescribeit，“shecontinued，thecolourcomingintoherfaceagain；“onefeelsthatwayaboutsomepeoplewithoutbeingabletoputthefeelingintowords。Andhaveafeeling，too，thatIshouldlikeyoutobefriendswithmyfather。“

Neitherofthem，perhaps，realizedtherapiditywithwhich“accidentalacquaintance“hadmeltedintointimacy。Austen\'sbloodranfaster，butitwascharacteristicofhimthathetriedtosteadyhimself，forhewasaVane。Hehadthoughtofhermanytimesduringthepastyear，butgraduallytheintensityoftheimpressionhadfadeduntilithadbeensounexpectedlyandvividlyrenewedto-day。Hewasnotamantolosehishead，andthedifficultiesofthesituationmadehimpauseandchoosehiswords，whilehedarednotsomuchasglanceatherasshesatinthesunlightbesidehim。

“Ishouldliketobefriendswithyourfather，“heansweredgravely，——thestatementbeingsoliterallytrueastohaveitspatheticallyhumorousaspect。

“I\'lltellhimso，Mr。Vane，“shesaid。

Austenturned，withaseriousnessthatdismayedher。

“Imustaskyouasafavournottodothat，“hesaid。

“Why？“sheasked。

“Inthefirstplace，“heansweredquietly，“IcannotaffordtohaveMr。

Flintmisunderstandmymotives。AndIoughtnottomisleadyou，“hewenton。“Inperiodsofpubliccontroversy，suchaswearepassingthroughatpresent，sometimesmen\'sviewsdiffersosharplyastomakeintercourseimpossible。YourfatherandImightnotagree——politically，letussay。

Forinstance，“headded，withevidenthesitation，“myfatherandI

disagree。“

Victoriawassilent。AndpresentlytheycametoawirefenceovergrownwithVirginiacreeper，whichdividedtheshadedroadfromawidelawn。

“HereweareattheHammonds\'，and——thankyou，“shesaid。

Anyreplyhemighthavemadewasforestalled。Theinsistentandintoleranthornofanautomobile，followednowbythescreamofthegears，brokethestillnessofthecountry-side，andafamiliarvoicecriedout——

“Doyouwantthewholeroad？“

AustenturnedintotheHammonds\'driveasthebulldognoseofamotorforgedahead，andMr。Creweswunginthedriver\'sseat。

“Hello，Victoria，“heshouted，“youpeopleoughttohaveear-trumpets。“

Thecarswerved，narrowlymissedawateringfountainwheretheword“Peace“wasinscribed，andshotdownthehill。

“Thatmanner，“saidVictoria，asshejumpedoutofthebuggy，“isavaluablepoliticalasset。“

“Doeshereallyintendtogointopolitics？“Austenaskedcuriously。

“\'Intend\'isamildwordappliedtoHumphrey，“sheanswered；

“\'determined\'wouldsuithimbetter。Accordingtohim，thereisnogamethatcannotbewonbydynamics。\'Getoutoftheway\'ishismotto。Mrs。

PomfretwilltellyouhowhemeanstocovertheStatewithgoodroadsnextyear，andtakeahouseinWashingtontheyearafter。“Sheheldoutherhand。“Good-by，——andIameversomuchobligedtoyouforbringingmehere。“

HedroveawaytowardsRiptonwithmanythingstothinkabout，withalastpictureofherinhismindasshepausedforaninstantintheflickeringshadows，strokingPepper\'sforehead。

CHAPTERVII

THELEOPARDANDHISSPOTS

ItisdifficulttooverestimatetheimportanceofMr。HumphreyCrewe，ofhisvaluetothetownofLeith，andtotheStateatlarge，andinthesepagesonlyapoorattemptatanappreciationofhimmaybeexpected。Mr。

Crewebynomeansunderestimatedthisclaimuponthecommunity，andhehadoflatebeendeclaringthathewasnosummerresident。Wedderburnwashishome，andtherehepaidhistaxes。Undoubtedly，theywerelessthancitytaxes。

Althoughayoungman，Mr。Crewewasinallrespectsamodelcitizen，andapersonofmanyactivities。Hehadbuiltafarmers\'club，towhichthefarmers，ingrossingratitude，hadnevergone。Nowitwasasummerresidenceanddistinctlyrentable。HehadastandingoffertoerectalibraryinthevillageofLeithprovidedthetownwouldfurnishtheground，thebooks，andpermitthenameofCrewetobecarvedinstoneoverthedoorway。Theindifferenceofthetownpainedhim，andhewasnaturallynotalittlegrievedatthelackofproperfeelingofthecountrypeopleofAmericatowardsthosewhowouldbettertheirconditions。Hehadputalargememorialwindowinthechapeltohisfamily。

Mr。Crewehadanotherstandingoffertobeoneoffivementostartafarmingexperimentstation——whichmightpaydividends。He，wasachurchwarden；presidentofasocietyforturningovercrops(whichhehadorganized)；amemberoftheStateGrange；presidentoftheembryoStateEconomicLeague(whateverthatwas)；andchairmanoftheLocalImprovementBoard——alsoacreationofhisown。Bythesetokens，andotherstoonumeroustomention，itwouldseemthattheinhabitantsofLeithwouldhavejumpedatthechancetomakesuchamanoneofthefivehundredintheirStateLegislature。

ToWhitmanisattributedtheremarkthatgeniusisalmostonehundredpercentdirectness，butwhetherornotthisappliedtoMr。HumphreyCreweremainstobeseen。“Dynamics“moresurelyexpressedhim。Itwouldnotseemtobeaverydifficultfeat，tobesure，togetelectedtoaStateLegislatureoffivehundredwhichmetonceayear:onceintenyears，indeed，mighthavebeenmoreappropriateforthefivehundred。ThetownofLeithwithitsthousandinhabitantshadonerepresentative，andMr。

Crewehadmadeuphismindhewastobethatrepresentative。

Therewas，needlesstosay，greatexcitementinLeithoverMr。Crewe\'sproposedventureintotheunknownseasofpolitics。Imean，ofcourse，thatportionofLeithwhichrecognizedinMr。Creweaneligiblebachelorandapersonofsocialimportance，forthesequalitieswerenotparticularlyappealingtothethreehundredoddfarmerswhosevoteswereexpectedtosendhimrejoicingtotheStatecapital。

“Itissorarewithusforagentlemantogointopolitics，thatweoughttodoeverythingwecantoelecthim，“Mrs。Pomfretwentaboutdeclaring。

“WomendosomuchinEngland，Iwondertheydon\'tdomorehere。IwasstayingatAylestoneCourtlastyearwhentheHonourableBillyAylestonewascontestingthefamilyseatwithahorridRadical，andIassureyou，mydear，Igotquiteexcited。WedidnothingfrommorningtillnightbutelectioneerfortheHonourableBilly，andkissedallthebabiesintheborough。Themothersweresograteful。Now，Edith，dotellJackinsteadofplayingtennisandcanoeingalldayheoughttohelp。It\'sthedutyofallyoungmentohelp。Noblesseoblige，youknow。Ican\'tunderstandVictoria。Shereallyhasinfluencewiththesecountrypeople，butshesaysit\'sallnonsense。SometimesIthinkVictoriahasacommonstreakinher——andnowonder。TheotherdaysheactuallydrovetotheHammonds\'

inabuggywithanunknownlawyerfromRipton。ButItoldyouaboutit。

Tellyourgardenerandthepeoplethatdoyourhaying，dear，andyourchickenwoman。Mychickenwomanismostapathetic，butdoyouwonder，withthelifetheylead？“

Mr。HumphreyCrewemighthavehad，withKingCharles，thewatchword“Thorough。“Hesenttothetownclerkforacheck-list，andproceededtohonoureachofthetwohundredRepublicanvoterswithapersonalvisit。

Thisisafairexampleofwhattookplaceinthemajorityofcases。

Outofacloudofdustemergesanautomobile，whichhalts，withprotestingbrakes，infrontofaneatfarmhouse，guardedbygreatmaples。

Persistentknockingbyachauffeuratlastbringsawomantothedoor。

Mrs。Jenneyhasapleasantfaceandanamplefigure。

“Mr。Jenneylivehere？“criesMr。Crewefromthedriver\'sseat。

“Yes，“saysMrs。Jenney，smiling。

“TellhimIwanttoseehim。“

“Guessyou\'llfindhimintheappleorchard。“

“Where\'sthat？“

Thechauffeurtakesdownthebars，Mr。Jenneypricksuphisears，andpresently——tohisamazement——perceivesaLeviathanapproachinghim，careeningovertherutsofhiswoodroad。Notbeinganemotionalperson，hecontinuestopickapplesuntilheissummarilyhailed。ThenhegoesleisurelytowardstheLeviathan。

“AreyouMr。Jenney？“

“Callatetobe，“saysMr。Jenney，pleasantly。

“I\'mHumphreyCrewe。“

“Howbeyou？“saysMr。Jenney，hiseyeswanderingovertheLeviathan。

Howaretheapplesthisyear？“asksMr。Crewe，graciously。

“Fairtomiddlin\'，“saysMr。Jenney。

“HaveyouevertastedmyPippins？“saysMr。Crewe。“Alittlescienceincultivationhelpsalong。I\'mgoingtosendyouaUnitedStatesgovernmentpamphletonthefruitwecanraisehere。“

Mr。Jenneymakesanawkwardpausebykeepingsilentonthesubjectofthepamphletuntilheshallseeit。

“Doyoutakemuchinterestinpolitics？“

“Notagreatdeal，“answersMr。Jenney。

“That\'sthetroublewithAmericans，“Mr。Crewedeclares，“theydon\'tcarewhorepresents\'em，orwhethertheirgovernment\'sgoodorbad。“

“Guessthat\'sso，“repliesMr。Jenney，politely。

“Thatsortofthing\'sgottostop，“declaresMr。Crewe；“I\'macandidatefortheRepublicannominationforrepresentative。“

“Iwanttoknow！“ejaculatesMr。Jenney，pullinghisbeard。OnewouldneversuspectthatthishasbeenoneofMr。Jenney\'schieftopicsoflate。

“I\'llseethattheinterestsofthistownarecaredfor。“

“Let\'ssee，“saysMr。Jenney，“there\'sfivehundredintheHouse，ain\'tthere？“

“It\'saridiculousnumber，“saysMr。Crewe，withtruth。

“Giveseverybodyachancetogo，“saysMr。Jenney。“Iwastharin\'78，andenjoyeditsome。“

“Whoareyoufor？“demandedMr。Crewe，combatingthetendencyoftheconversationtoslipintoapocket。

“Littleearlyyet，hain\'tit？Hain\'tmadeupmymind。Who\'sthecandidates？“asksMr。Jenney，continuingtostrokehisbeard。

“Idon\'tknow，“saysMr。Crewe，“butIdoknowI\'vedonesomethingforthistown，andIhopeyou\'lltakeitintoconsideration。Comeandseemewhenyougotothevillage。I\'llgiveyouagoodcigar，andthatpamphlet，andwe\'lltalkmattersover。“

“Neverwouldhavethoughttoseeoneofthemthingsinmyorchard，“saysMr。Jenney。“Howmuchdotheycost？Muchasalocomotive，don\'tthey？“

Itwouldnotbeexacttosaythat，aftersomeweeksofthissortofcampaigning，Mr。Crewewasdiscouraged，forsuchwrithevitalitywithwhichnaturehadchargedhimthathedidnotknowthemeaningoftheword。Hewasmerelypuzzled，asaJune-bugispuzzledwhenitbumpsupagainstawirewindow-screen。Hehadpledgedtohimhisowngardener，Mrs。Pomfret\'s，thehiredmenofthreeofhisneighbours，afewmodestsoulswhohabituallytookofftheirhatstohim，andMr。Ball，ofthevillage，whosoldgroceriestoWedderburnandwasageneralhandymanforthesummerpeople。Mr。Ballwasanagitatorbytemperamentandapromoterbypreference。Ifyouwereasummerresidentofimportanceandneededanythingfromasewing-machinetoaHolsteinheifer，Mr。Ball，thegrocer，wouldaccommodateyou。WhenMrs。Pomfret\'scookbecameinebriateandrefractory，Mr。Ballwassentfor，andenticedhertothestationandonboardofatrain；whentheChillinghams\'tankoverflowed，Mr。Ballfoundthepropervalveandsavedthehousefrombeingwashedaway。Anditwashewho，afterMrs。Pomfret，tookthekeenestinterestinMr。

Crewe\'scampaign。AtlengthcameonedaywhenMr。Crewepulledupinfrontofthegrocerystoreandcalled，ashiscustomwas，loudlyforMr。

Ball。ThefactthatMr。Ballwaswaitingoncustomersmadenodifference，andpresentlythatgentlemanappeared，rubbinghishandstogether。

“Howdoyoudo，Mr。Crewe？“hesaid，“automobilegoingallright？“

“What\'sthematterwiththesefellers？“saidMr。Crewe。“Haven\'tIdoneenoughforthetown？Didn\'tIget\'emruralfreedelivery？Didn\'tI

subscribetothemeeting-houseandlibrary，anddon\'tIpaymoretaxesthananybodyelse？“

“Certain，“assentedMr。Ball，eagerly，“certainyoudo。“Itdidnotseemtooccurtohimthatitwasunfairtomakehimresponsibleforthescurvyingratitudeofhistownsmen。Hesteppedgingerlydownintothedustandclimbeduponthetoolbox。

“Lookout，“saidMr。Crewe，“don\'tscratchthevarnish。Whatisit？“

Mr。Ballshiftedobedientlytotherubber-coveredstep，andbenthisfacetohispatron\'sear。

“It\'srailrud，“hesaid。

“Railroad！“shoutedMr。Crewe，inavoicethatmadethegrocerclutchhisarminterror。“Don\'tpinchmelikethat。Railroad！Thistownain\'twithintenmilesoftherailroad。“

“FortheloveofDavid，“saidMr。Ball，“don\'ttalksoloud，Mr。Crewe。“

“What\'stherailroadgottodowithit？“Mr。Crewedemanded。

Mr。Ballglancedaroundhim，tomakesurethatnoonewaswithinshoutingdistance。

“What\'stherailrudgottodowithanythinginthisState？“inquiredMr。

Ball，craftily。

“That\'sdifferent，“saidMr。Crewe，shortly，“I\'macorporationmanmyself。They\'vegottodefend\'emselves。“

“Certain。Iain\'tgotanythingagain\'\'em，“Mr。Ballagreedquickly。“I

guesstheyknowwhatthey\'reabout。Bythebye，Mr。Crewe，“headded，comingdangerouslynearthevarnishagain，anddrawingback，“youhain\'thappenedtohaveseenJobBraden，haveyou？“

“JobBraden！“exclaimedMr。Crewe，“JobBraden！What\'sallthismysteryaboutJobBraden？Somebodywhispersthatnameinmyeareveryday。Ifyoumeanthatsmooth-facedcussthatstuttersandlivesonBraden\'sHill，Icalledonhim，buthewasout。Ifyouseehim，tellhimtocomeuptoWedderburn，andI\'lltalkwithhim。“

Mr。BallmadeagesturetoindicateafeelingdividedbetweenrespectforMr。Creweanddespairatthehardihoodofsuchaproposition。

“Lordblessyou，sir，Jobwouldn\'tgo。“

“Wouldn\'tgo？“

“Heneverpaysvisits，——folksgotohim。“

“He\'dcometoseeme，wouldn\'the？“

“I——I\'mafraidriot，Mr。Crewe。Jobholdshiscombratherhigh。“

“Doyoumeantosaythistwo-for-a-centtownhasaboss？“

“SilasGrantleywasbornhere，“saidMr。Ball——foreventhewormwillturn。“Thistown\'sgotanoblehistory。“

“Idon\'tcareanythingaboutSilasGrantley。WhatIwanttoknowis，howthisrascalmanagestomakeanythingoutofthepoliticalpickingsofatownlikeLeith。“

“Well，Jobain\'texactlyarascal，Mr。Crewe。He\'sgotagoodmanyofthemhillfarmersinapositionof——ofgratitude。EnoughtocontroltheRepublicancaucus。“

“Doyoumeanhebuystheirvotes？“demandedMr。Crewe。

“It\'slikethis，“explainedMr。Ball，“ifoneof\'emfallsbehindinhisgrocerybill，forexample，hecanalwaysgetmoneyfromJob。Jobtakesamortgage，buthedon\'toftenclosedownon\'m。AndJobhasbeencollectin\'credentialsinAvalonCountyforupwardoffortyyears。“

“Collectingcredentials？“

“Yes。GetsamannominatedtoStateandcountyconventionsthatcan\'tgo，andgoeshimselfwithabunchofcredentials。He\'sinapositiontonegotiate。HewasinallthemrailrudfightswithJethroBass，andnowhedoesbusinesswithHilaryVaneorBrushBascomwhenanythingespecial\'sgoin\'on。You\'doughttoseehim，Mr。Crewe。“

“IguessIwon\'twastemytimewithanypicayunebossiftheUnitedNortheasternRailroadshasanyhandinthismatter，“declaredMr。Crewe。

“Windherup。“

Thislatterremarkwasaddressedtoalong-sufferingchauffeurwholookedlikeaSicilianbrigand。

“Ididn\'texactlyliketosuggestit，“saidMr。Ball，rubbinghishandsandraisinghisvoiceabovethewhirofthemachine，“butofcourseI

knewMr。Flintwasanintimatefriend。Awordtohimfromyou——“

ButbythisMr。Crewehadgotinhissecondspeedandwassweepingaroundacornerlinedwithfarmers\'teams，whoseanimalswerebehavinglikecircushorses。Onhisowndriveway，wherehearrivedinincrediblybrieftime，hemethisstenographer，farmsuperintendent，secretary，housekeeper，andgeneralutilityman，Mr。Raikes。Mr。Raikeswaselderly，andshowedsignsofneedingavacation。

“TelephoneMr。Flint，Raikes，andtellhimIwouldlikeanappointmentathisearliestconvenience，onimportantbusiness。“

Mr。Raikes，whowasgoingforhisdailystrollbesidetheriver，wheeledandmadeforthetelephone，andbroughtbackthenewsthatMr。FlintwouldbehappytoseeMr。Crewethenextafternoonatfouro\'clock。

Thisinterview，aboutwhichtherehasbeensomuchcontroversyinthenewspapers，anddenialsandcounter-denialsfromthepressbureausofbothgentlemen，——thisnowhistoricinterviewbeganatfouro\'clockpreciselythenextday。AtthathourMr。CrewewasusheredintothatlittleroominwhichMr。FlintworkedwhenatFairview。LikeFredericktheGreatandotherfamouscaptains，Mr。Flintbelievedinanironbedsteadregime。Themagnatewas，asusual，fortifiedbehindhisoakdesk；thesecretarywithabendinhisbackwasinmodestevidence；andanelderlymanofcomfortableproportions，withalargegoldwatch-charmportrayingtherisingsun，andwhogave，somehow，thepolishedimpressionofamarble，satnearthewindowsmokingacigar。Mr。Creweapproachedthedeskwiththatgenialandbriskmannerforwhichhewasnotedandheldouthishandtotherailroadpresident。

“Wearebothbusinessmen，andbothpunctual，Mr。Flint，“hesaid，andsatdownintheemptychairbesidehishost，eyeingwithoutparticularfavourhimofthewatch-charm，whosecigarwasnotaverygoodone。“I

wantedtohavealittleprivateconversationwithyouwhichmightbeofconsiderableinteresttousboth。“AndMr。Crewelaiddownonthedeskasomewhatformidablerollofpapers。

“ItrustthepresenceofSenatorWhitredgewillnotdeteryou，“answeredMr。Flint。Heisanoldfriendofmine。“

Mr。Crewewasonhisfeetagainwithsurprisingalacrity，andbesidethesenator\'schair。

“Howareyou，Senator？“hesaid，“Ihaveneverhadthepleasureofmeetingyou，butIknowyoubyreputation。“

Thesenatorgottohisfeet。Theyshookhands，andexchangedcordialgreetings；andduringtheexchangeMr。Crewelookedoutofthewindow，andthesenator\'seyeswerefixedonthetelephonereceiveronMr。

Flint\'sdesk。Asneithergentlemantookholdoftheother\'sfingersveryhard，theyfellapartquickly。

“Iamveryhappytomeetyou，Mr。Crewe，“saidthesenator。Mr。Crewesatdownagain，andnotbeinghamperedbythoseshrinkingqualitiessofataltosuccesshewentonimmediately:——

“ThereisnothingwhichIhavetosaythatthesenatorcannothear。I

madetheappointmentwithyou，Mr。Flint，totalkoveramatterwhichmaybeofconsiderableimportancetousboth。“IhavemadeupmymindtogototheLegislature。“

Mr。Crewenaturallyexpectedtofindvisibleeffectsofastonishmentandjoyonthefacesofhishearersatsuchnotinconsiderablenews。Mr。

Flint，however，lookedseriousenough，thoughthesenatorsmiledasheblewhissmokeoutofthewindow。

“HaveyouseenJobBraden，Mr。Crewe？“heasked，withgenialjocoseness。

“TheytellmethatJobisstillaliveandkickingoverinyourparts。“

“Thankyou，Senator，“saidMr。Crewe，“thatbringsmetotheverypointI

wishtoemphasize。EverywhereinLeithIammetwiththeremark，\'HaveyouseenJobBraden？\'AndIalwaysanswer，\'No，Ihaven\'tseenMr。

Braden，andIdon\'tintendtoseehim。“\'

Mr。Whitredgelaughed，andblewoutaringofsmoke。Mr。Flint\'sfaceremainedsober。

“Now，Mr。Flint，“Mr。Crewewenton，“youandIunderstandeachother，andwe\'reonthesamesideofthefence。Ihaveinheritedsomeinterestsincorporationsmyself，andIhaveacquiredaninterestinothers。Iamadirectorinseveral。Ibelievethatitisthedutyofpropertytoprotectitself，andthedutyofallgoodmeninpolitics，——suchasthesenatorhere，“——(bowfromMr。Whitredge)toprotectproperty。Iamapracticalman，andIthinkIcanconvinceyou，ifyoudon\'tseeitalready，thatmydeterminationtogototheLegislatureisanadvantageousthingforyourrailroad。“

“Theadventofareputablecitizenintopoliticsisalwaysagoodthingfortherailroad，Mr。Crewe，“saidMr。Flint。

“Exactly，“Mr。Creweagreed，ignoringthenon-committalqualityofthisremark，“andifyougetacitizenwhoisanotinconsiderablepropertyholder，agentleman，andacollegegraduate，——amanwho，bystudyandpredilection，isqualifiedtobringaboutimprovedconditionsintheState，somuchthebetter。“

“Somuchthebetter，“saidMr。Flint。

“Ithoughtyouwouldseeitthatway，“Mr。Crewecontinued。“NowamanofyourcalibremusthavestudiedtosomeextenttheneedsoftheState，anditmusthavestruckyouthatcertainimprovementsgohandinhandwiththeprosperityofyourrailroad。“

“Haveacigar，Mr。Crewe。Haveanother，Senator？“saidMr。Flint。“I

thinkthatissafeasageneralproposition，Mr。Crewe。“

“Tospecify，“saidMr。Crewe，layinghishandontherollofpapershehadbrought，“IhaveherebillswhichIhavecarefullydrawnupandwhichIwillleaveforyourconsideration。OneistoissuebondsfortenmillionstobuildStateroads。“

“Tenmillions！“saidMr。Flint，andthesenatorwhistledmildly。

“Thinkaboutit，“saidMr。Crewe，“theperfectionofthehighwaysthroughtheState，insteadofdecreasingyourearnings，wouldincreasethemtremendously。Visitorsbythetensofthousandswouldcomeinautomobiles，andremainandbuysummerplaces。TheStatewouldhaveitsmoneybackintaxesandbusinessinnotimeatall。Iwondersomebodyhasn\'tseenitbefore——thestupidityofthecountrylegislatoriscolossal。Andwewantforestrylaws，andlawsforimprovingtheconditionofthefarmers——allpracticalthings。Theyareallthere，“Mr。

Crewedeclared，slappingthebundle；“readthem，Mr。Flint。Ifyouhaveanysuggestionstomake，kindlynotethemonthemargin，andIshallbegladtogooverthemwithyou。“

Bythistimethesenatorwasinararepostureforhim——hewasseatedupright。

“Asyouknow，Iamaverybusyman，Mr。Crewe，“saidtherailroadpresident。

“NooneappreciatesthatmorefullythanIdo，Mr。Flint，“saidMr。

Crewe；“Ihaven\'tmanyidlehoursmyself。Ithinkyouwillfindthebillsandmycommentsonthemwellworthyourconsiderationfromthepointofviewofadvantagetoyourrailroad。Theyaretypewritten，andinconcreteform。Infact，theNortheasternRailroadsandmyselfmustworktogethertoourmutualadvantage——thathasbecomequitecleartome。

Ishallhaveneedofyourhelpinpassingthemeasures。“

“I\'mafraidIdon\'tquiteunderstandyou，Mr。Crewe，“saidMr。Flint，puttingdownthepapers。

“Thatis，“saidMr。Crewe，“ifyouapproveofthebills，andIamconfidentthatIshallbeabletoconvinceyou。“

“Whatdoyouwantmetodo？“askedtherailroadpresident。

“Well，inthefirstplace，“saidMr。Crewe，unabashed，“sendwordtoyourmanBradenthatyou\'veseenmeandit\'sallright。“

\'Iassureyou，“answeredMr。Flint，givingevidenceforthefirsttimeofalossofpatience，“thatneithertheNortheasternRailroadsnormyself，haveanymoretodowiththisBradenthanyouhave。“

Mr。Crewe，beingamanoftheworld，lookedincredulous。

“Senator，“Mr。Flintcontinued，turningtoMr。Whitredge，“youknowasmuchaboutpoliticsinthisStateasanymanofmyacquaintance，haveyoueverheardofanyconnectionbetweenthisBradenandtheNortheasternRailroads？“

Thesenatorhadalaughthatwasparticularlydisarming。

“Blessyoursoul，no，“hereplied。“Youwillpardonme，Mr。Crewe，butyoumusthavebeenlisteningtosomefarmer\'stale。Therailroadisthebugabooinallthesecountryromances。I\'veseenoldJobBradenatconventionseversinceIwasalad。He\'sabacknumber，oneofthefewremainingdisciplesandimitatorsofJethroBass:talkslikehimandactslikehim。Intheolddayswhentherewerealotoflittlerailroads，heandBijahBixbyandafewothersusedtomakesomethingoutofthem，butsincetheconsolidation，andMr。Flint\'spresidency，Jobstaysathome。

TheytellmeherunsLeithyet。You\'dbettergooverandfixitupwithhim。“

AsomewhatsarcasticsmileofsatisfactionwasplayingoverMr。Flint\'sfaceashelistenedtothesenator\'swords。Asamatteroffact，theywereverynearlytrueasregardedJobBraden，butMr。CrewemaybepardonedforthinkingthatMr。Flintwasnotshowinghimquitetheconfidenceduefromonebusinessandcorporationmantoanother。Hewasbynomeansabashed，——Mr。Crewehadtoomuchspiritforthat。Hemerelybecame——asamanwhosewatchwordis“thorough“will——alittlemorecombative。

“Well，readthebillsanyway，Mr。Flint，andI\'llcomeandgooverthemwithyou。Youcan\'tfailtoseemyarguments，andallIaskisthatyouthrowtheweightofyourorganizationattheStatecapitalforthemwhentheycomeup。“

Mr。Flintdrummedonthetable。