第11章

IfIwereaman，andsuchmenasMr。RedbrookandMr。Jenneyknewmeandbelievedsufficientlyinmeandinmyintegrityofpurposetoaskmetobetheircandidate“(hereshehesitatedaninstant)，“andIbelievedthatthecausewereagoodone，Ishouldnothavefeltjustifiedinrefusing。

ThatiswhatImeant。Ihavealwaysthoughtofyouasamanofforceandamanofaction。ButIdidnotsee——theobstacleinyourway。“

Shehesitatedoncemore，andadded，withacouragewhichdidnotfailofitsdirectappeal，“Ididnotrealizethatyouwouldbepubliclyopposingyourfather。AndIdidnotrealizethatyouwouldnotcaretocriticise——mine。“

Onthelastwordshefalteredandglancedathisprofile。

Hadshegonetoofar？

“Ifeltthatyouwouldunderstand，“heanswered。Hecouldnottrusthimselftospeakfurther。Howmuchdidsheknow？Andhowmuchwasshecapableofgrasping？

Hisreticenceservedonlytofortifyhertrust——toelevateit。Itwasimpossibleforhernottofeelsomethingofthatwhichwasinhimandcryingforutterance。Shewasawoman。Andifthisoneactionhadbeenbuttheholdingofhercoat，shewouldhaveknown。Amanwhocouldkeepsilentundertheseconditionsmustindeedbearockofmightandhonour；

andshefeltsurenow，withasurgingofjoy，thatthelightshehadseenshiningfromitwasthebeaconoftruth。Aquestiontrembledonherlips——thequestionforwhichshehadlongbeengatheringstrength。

Whatevertheoutcomeofthiscommunion，shefeltthattheremustbeabsolutetruthbetweenthem。

“Iwanttoaskyousomething，Mr。Vane——Ihavebeenwantingtoforalongtime。“

Shesawthemusclesofhisjawtighten，——amannerhehadwhenearnestordetermined，——andshewonderedinagitationwhetherhedivinedwhatshewasgoingtosay。Heturnedhisfaceslowlytohers，andhiseyesweretroubled。

“Yes，“hesaid。

“Youhavealwayssparedmyfeelings，“shewenton。“Now——nowIamaskingforthetruth——asyouseeit。DotheNortheasternRailroadswrongfullygovernthisStatefortheirownends？“

Austen，too，ashethoughtoveritafterwards，inthenight，wassurprisedatherconcisephrasing，suggestive；asitwas，ofmuchreflection。Butatthemoment，althoughhehadbeenpreparedforandhadbracedhimselfagainstsomethingofthisnature，hewasneverthelessovercomebytheabsoluteandfearlessdirectnessofherspeech。

“Thatisaquestion，“heanswered，“whichyouwillhavetoaskyourfather。“

“Ihaveaskedhim，“shesaid，inalowvoice；“Iwanttoknowwhat——youbelieve。“

“Youhaveaskedhim！“herepeated，inastonishment。

“Yes。Youmustn\'tthinkthat，inaskingyou，Iamunfairtohiminanyway——orthatIdoubthissincerity。Wehavebeen“(hervoicecaughtalittle)“theclosestfriendseversinceIwasachild。“Shepaused。

“ButIwanttoknowwhatyoubelieve。“

Thefactthatsheemphasizedthelastpronounsentanotherthrillthroughhim。Didit，then，makeanydifferencetoherwhathebelieved？Didshemeantodifferentiatehimfromoutofthemultitude？Hehadtosteadyhimselfbeforeheanswered:——

“Ihavesometimesthoughtthatmyownviewmightnotbebroadenough。“

Sheturnedtohimagain。

“Whyareyouevading？“sheasked。“Iamsureitisnotbecauseyonhavenotsettledconvictions。AndIhaveaskedyou——afavour。“

“Youhavedonemeanhonour，“heanswered，andfacedhersuddenly。“Youmustsee，“hecried，withapowerandpassioninhisvoicethatstartledandthrilledherinturn，“youmustseethatit\'sbecauseIwishtobefairthatIhesitate。Iwouldtellyou——anything。Idonotagreewithmyownfather，——wehavebeen——apart——foryearsbecauseofthis。AndI

do——notagreewithMr。Flint。Iamsurethattheybotharewrong。ButI

cannothelpseeingtheirpointofview。Thesepracticesaretheresultofanevolution，ofanevolutionoftheirtime。Theywereforcedtocopewithconditionsinthewaytheydid，orgotothewall。Theymakethemistakeofbelievingthatthepracticesarestillnecessaryto-day。“

“Oh！“sheexclaimed，agreathoperisingwithinheratthesewords。“Oh，andyoubelievetheyarenot！“，Hisexplanationseemedsosimple，soinspiring。Andaboveandbeyondthat，hewassure。Convictionrangineveryword。Hadhenot，sheremembered，stakedhiscareerbydisagreeingwithhisfather？Yes，andhehadbeenslowtocondemn；hehadseentheirside。Itwastheywhocondemnedhim。Hemusthavejustice——heshouldhaveit！

“Ibelievesuchpracticesarenotnecessarynow，“hesaidfirmly。“Anewgenerationhascome——agenerationmorejealousofitspoliticalrights，andnotsowillingtoberidofthembyfarmingthemout。Achangehastakenplaceevenintheoldermen，likeMr。JenneyandMr。Redbrook，whosimplydidnotthinkaboutthesequestionstenyearsago。Menofthistype，whocouldbeleaders，arereadytoassumetheirresponsibilities，arereadytodealfairlywithrailroadsandcitizensalike。Thisisamatterofbelief。Ibelieveit——Mr。Flintandmyfatherdonot。Theyseethepoliticians，andIseethepeople。Ibelongtoonegeneration，andtheytoanother。Withtheconvictionstheyhave，addedtothefactthattheyareinapositionofheavyresponsibilitytowardtheownersoftheirproperty，theycannotbeblamedforhesitatingtotryanyexperiments。“

“Andthepracticesare——bad？“Victoriaasked。

“TheyareentirelysubversiveoftheprinciplesofAmericangovernment，tosaytheleast，“repliedAusten，grimly。HewasthinkingofthepasswhichMr。Flinthadsenthim，andofthekindofmenMr。Flintemployedtomakethepracticeseffective。

Theydescendedintothedarknessofadeepvalley，scoredoutbetweenthehillsbyoneoftherushingtributariesoftheBlue。Themoonfelldownbehindtheoppositeridge，andtheroadranthroughadeepforest。Henolongersawtheshadesofmeaninginherface，butintheblacknessofErebushecouldhavesensedherpresenceathisside。Speech，thoughofthisstrangekindofwhichneitherfeltthestrangeness，hadcomeandgonebetweenthem，andnowsilencespokeaseloquently。Twiceorthricetheireyesmetthroughthegloom，——andtherewaslight。Atlengthshespokewiththeimpulsivenessinhervoicethathefoundsoappealing。

“Youmustseemyfather——youmusttalktohim。Hedoesn\'tknowhowfairyouare！“

ToAustentheinferencewasobviousthatMr。Flinthadconceivedforhimaspecialanimosity，whichhemusthavementionedtoVictoria，andthisinferenceopenedthewaytoawidespeculationinwhichhewasatonceelatedanddepressed。Whyhadhebeensosingledout？AndhadVictoriadefendedhim？OncebeforeherememberedthatshehadtoldhimhemustseeMr。Flint。Theyhadgainedtheridgenow，andthemoonhadrisenagainforthem，strikingblackshadowsfromthemaplesonthegranite-

croppedpastures。AlittlefartheronwasaroadwhichmighthavebeencalledtherearentrancetoFairview。

Whatwashetosay？

“IamafraidMr。Flinthasotherthingstodothantoseeme，“heanswered。“Ifhewishedtoseeme，hewouldsayso。“

“Wouldyougotoseehim，ifheweretoaskyou？“saidVictoria。

“Yes，“hereplied，“butthatisnotlikelytohappen。Indeed，youaregivingmyopinionentirelytoomuchimportanceinyourfather\'seyes，“headded，withanattempttocarryitofflightly；“thereisnomorereasonwhyheshouldcaretodiscussthesubjectwithmethanwithanyothercitizenoftheStateofmyagewhothinksasIdo。“

“Oh，yes，thereis，“saidVictoria；“heregardsyouasapersonwhoseopinionhassomeweight。Iamsureofthat。Hethinksofyouasapersonofconvictions——andhehasheardthingsaboutyou。Youtalkedtohimonce，“shewenton，astonishedatherownboldness，“andmadehimangry。Whydon\'tyoutalktohimagain？“shecried，seeingthatAustenwassilent。“IamsurethatwhatyousaidaboutthechangeofpublicopinionintheStatewouldappealtohim。Andoh，don\'tquarrelwithhim！Youhaveafacultyofdifferingwithpeoplewithoutquarrellingwiththem。Myfatherhassomanycares，andhetriessohardtodorightasheseesit。Youmustrememberthathewasapoorfarmer\'sson，andthathebegantoworkatfourteeninBrampton，runningerrandsforacountryprinter。Heneverhadanyadvantagesexceptthosehemadeforhimself，andhehadtofighthiswayinahardschoolagainstmenwhowerenotalwayshonourable。Itisnowonderthathesometimestakes——amaterialviewofthings。Butheisreasonableandwillingtolistentowhatothermenhavetosay，ifheisnotantagonized。“

“Iunderstand，“saidAusten，whothoughtMr。Flintblestinhisadvocate。

Indeed，Victoria\'ssimplereferencetoherfather\'soriginhadtouchedhimdeeply。“Iunderstand，butIcannotgotohim。ThereiseveryreasonwhyIcannot，“headded，andsheknewthathewasspeakingwithdifficulty，asundergreatemotion。

“Butifheshouldsendforyou？“sheasked。Shefelthislookfixeduponherwithastrangeintensity，andherheartleapedasshedroppedhereyes。

“IfMr。Flintshouldsendforme，“heansweredslowly，Iwouldcome——andgladly。Butitmustbeofhisownfreewill。“

Victoriarepeatedthewordsovertoherself，“Itmustbeofhisownfreewill，“waitinguntilsheshouldbealonetoseektheirfullinterpretation。Sheturned，andlookedacrossthelawnatFairviewHouseshininginthelight。Inanotherminutetheyhaddrawnupbeforetheopendoor。

“Won\'tyoucomein——andwaitforMr。Jenney？“sheasked。

Hegazeddownintoherface，searchingly，andtookherhand。

“Goodnight，“hesaid；“Mr。Jenneyisnotfarbehind。Ithink——IthinkI

shouldlikethewalk。“

CHAPTERXX

MR。CREWE:ANAPPRECIATION(1)

Itisgiventosomeraremortals——withwhomfameprecedesgreyhairsorbaldnesstoread，whilestillontherisingtideoftheirefforts，thatportionoftheirliveswhichhasalreadybeeninscribedonthescrollofhistory——orsomethinglikeit。Mr。Creweinkiltsatfive；and(propheticpicture！)withatrainofcarswhich——sothefamilytraditionruns——wasafterwardsdemolished；Mr。Creweatfourteen，indelicatehealth；thispicturewastakenabroad，withalong-sufferingtutorwhocouldspeakfeelingly，ifhewould，ofembryogeniuses。EvenatthisearlyperiodHumphreyCrewe\'sthirstforknowledgewasinsatiable:hecaredlittle，thebiographytellsus，forgalleriesandchurchesandruins，buthiscommentsuponforeignmethodsofdoingbusinesswereastonishinglyprecocious。Herecommendedtoamazedclerksinprovincialbankstheuseofcheques，ridiculedtospeechlessstation-masterstheside-entrancerailwaycarriagewithitswantofroom，andthesizeofthegoodstrucks。Heissaidtohavebeenthefirsttosuggestthatsoda-

waterfountainsmightberunatalargeprofitinLondon。

Incollege，inadditiontokeepinguphisclassicalcourses，hefoundtimetomakeanexhaustivestudyoftherailroadsoftheUnitedStates，embodyingtheseideasinapamphletpublishedshortlyaftergraduation。

Thispamphletisnow，unfortunately，veryrare，buttheanonymousbiographermanagedtogetoneandquotefromit。IfMr。Crewe\'ssuggestionshadbeencarriedout，seventy-fivepercentoftherailroadaccidentsmighthavebeeneliminated。Thoroughwashiswatchwordeventhen。Andevenatthatperiodheforesaw，withtheprophecyofgenius，thedaysofsingle-trackcongestion。

HiseffortstoimproveLeithandtheStateingeneral，toamelioratetheconditionofhisneighbours，werefittinglyanddelicatelydweltupon。A

desiretotakeuponhimselftheburdenofcitizenshipled——asweknow——tofurtherself-denial。HefeltcalledupontogototheLegislature——andthisiswhathesaw:——

(Mr。Creweisquotedhereatlengthinanadmirable，concise，andhair-

raisingstatementgiveninaninterviewtohisbiographer。Butwehavebeenwithhim，andknowwhathesaw。Itis，forlackofspace，reluctantlyomitted。)

Andnowwearetotakeupwherethebiographyleftoff；torelate，inachapterifpossible，oneofthemostremarkablecampaignsinthehistoryofthiscountry。Acertainreformerofwhoseacquaintancethehonestchroniclerboasts(areformerwhogotelected！)found，onhisfirstvisittotheheadquartershehadhired——twocitizensundertheinfluenceofliquorandalittlegirlwithaskiprope。Sucharethebeginningsthattrymen\'ssouls。

ThewindowofeveryindependentshopkeeperinRiptoncontainedalarge-

sizedpictureoftheLeithstatesman，hisdeterminedchinslightlythrustdownintotheGladstonecollar。Underneathwerethewords，“Iwillputanendtograftandrailroadrule。IamaCandidateofthePeople。

OpeningrallyofthePeople\'sCampaignattheOperaHouse，at8P。M。，July10th。TheHon。HumphreyCrewe，ofLeith，willtellthecitizensofRiptonhowtheirStateisgoverned。“

“Father，“saidVictoria，asshereadthisannouncement(threecolumnswide，intheRiptonRecord)astheysatatbreakfasttogether，“doyoumindmygoing？IcangetHastingsWearetotakeme。“

“Notatall，“saidMr。Flint，whohadreturnedfromNewYorkinabetterframeofmind。“Ishouldlikeatrustworthyaccountofthatmeeting。

Only，“headded，“Ishouldadviseyoutogoearly，Victoria，inordertogetaseat。“

“Youdon\'tobjecttomylisteningtocriticismofyou？“

“NotbyHumphreyCrewe，“laughedMr。Flint。

EarlysuppersinsteadofdinnersweretheruleatLeithontheeveningofthehistoricday，andthecandidatehimself，inhisredLeviathan，wasnotinconsiderablyannoyed，onthewaytoRipton，byinnumerablecarryallsandtrapsfilledwithbrightlygownedrecruitsofthatorganizationofMrs。Pomfret\'swhichBeatriceChillinghamhadnicknamed“TheLadies\'Auxiliary。“。InvainMr。Crewetootedhishorn:thesoundofitwasdrownedbythegaytalkandlaughterinthecarryalls，andshrieksensuedwhentheLeviathancutbywithonlysixinchestospare，andthecandidateturnedandaddressedthedriversinlanguagemoreforcefulthanpolite，andtoldtheladiestheyactedasiftheyweregoingtoaPunch-and-Judyshow。

“PoordearHumphrey！“said，Mrs。Pomfret，“issomuchinearnest。I

wouldn\'tgiveasnapforamanwithoutatemper。“

“PoordearHumphrey“saidBeatriceChillingham，inanundertonetoherneighbour，“isexceedinglyrudeandungrateful。That\'swhatIthink。“

Theoccupantsofonevehicleheardthehorn，andsoughtthetopofagrassymoundtolettheLeviathangoby。AndtheLeviathan，withcharacteristiccontrariness，stopped。

“Hello，“saidMr。Crewe，withapullathiscap。“Iintendedtobeonthelookoutforyou。“

“Thatisverythoughtful，Humphrey，consideringhowmanythingsyouhavetobeonthelookoutforthisevening，“Victoriareplied。

“That\'sallright，“wasMr。Crewe\'sgraciousreply。“Iknewyou\'dbesufficientlybroad-mindedtocome，andIhopeyouwon\'ttakeoffenceatcertainremarksIthinkitmydutytomake。“

“Don\'tletmypresenceaffectyou，“sheanswered，smiling；“Ihavecomepreparedforanything。“

“I\'lltellTootingtogiveyouagoodseat，“hecalledback，ashestartedonward。

HastingsWearelookedup，ather，withlaughter-brimmingeyes。

“Victoria，you\'reawonder！“heremarked。“Say，doyourememberthattallfellowwemetatHumphrey\'sparty，AustenVane？“

Yes。“

“IsawhimonthestreetinRiptontheotherday，andhecamerightupandspoketome。Hehadn\'tforgottenmyname。Now，he\'dbemynotionofacandidate。Hemakesyoufeelasifyourpresenceintheworldmeantsomethingtohim。“

“Ithinkhedoesfeelthatway，“repliedVictoria。

“Idon\'tblamehimifhefeelsthatwayaboutyou，“saidHastings，whomadeloveopenly。

“Hastings，“sheanswered，“whenyougetalittleolder，youwilllearntoconfineyourselftoyourownopinions。“

“WhenIdo，“heretortedaudaciously，“theynevermakeyoublushlikethat。“

“It\'sprobablybecauseyouhaveneverlearnedtobeoriginal，“shereplied。ButHastingshadbeensettothinking。

Mrs。Pomfret，withherforesightandhertalentformanagement，hadgiventheLadies\'Auxiliarynoticethattheywerenottogofartherforwardthanthetwelfthrow。Sheherself，withsomeespeciallyfavouredones，occupiedabox，whichwasthenearestthingtobeingonthestage。OneunforeseenresultofMrs。Pomfret\'sarrangementwasthatthefirstelevenrowswerevacant，withtheexceptionofoneoldmanandfiveorsixschoolboys。Suchisthecourageofhumanityingeneral！Onthearrivalofthecandidate，insteadofasurgingcrowdliningthesidewalk，hefoundonlyafringeofthecurious，whoseusualpostofobservationwastherailroadstation，standingsilentlyonthecurb。Within，Mr。

Tooting\'sdutiesasanusherhadnotbeenonerous。HemetMr。Creweinthevestibule，anddrewhimintotheprivateoffice。

“Therailroad\'sfixed\'em，“saidthemanager，indignantly，butsottovoce；“I\'vefoundthatout。HilaryVanehadthewordpassedaroundtownthatiftheycame，somethin\'wouldfallon\'em。TheTredwaysandallthepeoplewhoownfactoriesservednoticeontheirmenthatiftheypaidanyattentiontothismeetingthey\'dlosetheirjob。Butsay，thepeoplearewatchin\'you，justthesame。“

“Howmanypeopleareinthere？“Mr。Crewedemanded。

“Twenty-seven，whenIcameout，“saidMr。Tooting，withcommendableaccuracy。“Butitwantsfifteenminutestoeight。“

“Andwho，“askedMr。Crewe，“istointroduceme？“

AnexpressionofindignationspreadoverMr。Tooting\'sface。

“Thereain\'tamaninRipton\'sgotsandenough！“heexclaimed。“SolGridleywasa-goin\'to，buthewenttoNewYorkonthenoontrain。

Iguessit\'sapleasuretrip，“Mr。Tootinghinteddarkly。

“Why，“saidMr。Crewe，“he\'sthefellow——“

“Exactly，“Mr。Tootingreplied，“andhedidgetalotof\'em，travellingabout。ButSolhasgottoworkonthequiet，youunderstand。Hefeelshecan\'tcomeoutrightaway。“

“AndhowaboutAmosRicketts？Where\'she？“

“Amos，“saidMr。Tooting，regretfully，“wastakenverysuddenaboutfiveo\'clock。Oneofhisspellscomeon，andhesentmewordtotheRiptonHouse。Hehadhisspeechallmadeup，anditwasagoodone，too。Hewasgoingtotellfolksprettystraighthowtherailroadbeathimformayor。“

Mr。Crewemadeagestureofdisgust。

“I\'llintroducemyself，“hesaid。“Theyallknowme，anyhow。“

“Say，“saidMr。Tooting，layingahandonhiscandidate\'sarm。“Youcouldn\'tdoanybetter。I\'vebinforthatallalong。“

“Holdon，“saidMr。Crewe，listening，“alotofpeoplearecominginnow。“

WhatMr。Crewehadheard，however，wasthearrivaloftheLadies\'

Auxiliary，——fiveandthirtystrong，fromLeith。Butstay！Whoarethesecoming？Moreladies——ladiesingroupsoftwoandthreeandfive！ladiesofRiptonwhosehusbands，forsomeunexplainedreason，havestayedathome；andMr。Tooting，ashewatchedthemwithmingledfeelings，becameawoman\'ssuffragistonthespot。Hedivedintotheprivateofficeoncemore，wherehefoundMr。Creweseatedwithhislegscrossed，calmlyreadingalastwinter\'splaybill。(Noteforamorecompletebiography。)

“Well，Tooting，“hesaid，“Ithoughtthey\'dbegintocome。“

“They\'remostlywomen，“Mr。Tootinginformedhim。

“Women！“

“Holdon！“saidMr。Tooting，whohadthetrueshowman\'sinstinct。“Can\'tyouseethatfolksarecurious？They\'reafraidtocome\'emselves，andthey\'resendin\'theirwivesanddaughters。Ifyougetthewomentonight，they\'llgohomeandclubthemenintoline。“

Eightstrokesboomedoutfromthetoweroftheneighbouringtownhall，andanexpectantflutterspreadovertheaudience，——aflatterwhichdisseminatedfaintodoursofsachetandothermysterioussubstancesinwhichfeminineapparelissaidtothelaidaway。Thestagewasempty，saveforatablewhichheldapitcherofwaterandaglass。

“It\'saprettygoodimitationofamatinee，“HastingsWeareremarked。

“Iwonderwhomthefrontseatsarereservedfor。Say，Victoria，there\'syourfriendMr。Vaneinthecorner。He\'slookingoverhere。“

“Hehasaperfectrighttolookwherehechooses，“saidVictoria。Shewonderedwhetherhewouldcomeoverandsitnexttoherifsheturnedaround，anddecidedinstantlythathewouldn\'t。Presently，whenshethoughtHastingswasoffhisguard，shedidturn，tomeet，assheexpected，Austen\'sglancefixeduponher。Theirgreetingwasthesignaloftwopeoplewithamutualunderstanding。Hedidnotrise，andalthoughsheacknowledgedtoherselfafeelingofdisappointment，shegavehimcreditforanicecomprehensionofthesituation。BesidehimwashisfriendTomGaylord，whopresentedtoheraverypuzzledface。Andthen，iftherehadbeenaband，itwouldhavebeentimetoplay“See，theConqueringHeroComes！“

Whywasn\'tthereaband？Nosuchmistake，Mr。Tootingvowed，shouldbemadeatthenextrally。

ItwasMrs。Pomfretwholedtheapplausefromherboxasthecandidatewalkedmodestlyupthesideaisleandpresentlyappeared，alone，onthestage。Theflutterofexcitementwasrenewed，andthistimeitmightalmostbecalledaflutterofapprehension。ButwewhohaveheardMr。

Crewespeakareinnoalarmforourcandidate。Hetakesaglassoficedwater；hearranges，withtheutmostsangfroid，hisnotesonthedeskandadjuststhereadinglight。Thenhestepsforwardandsurveysthescatteredgroups。

“Ladies——“atitterranthroughtheaudience，——atitterwhichstartedsomewhereinthenearneighbourhoodofMr。HastingsWeare——androseinstantlytoseveralhystericalpealsoffemininelaughter。Mrs。

Pomfret，outraged，sweepsthefrivolousoffenderswithherlorgnette；Mr。

Crewe，withhisarmresting，onthereading-desk，merelyraisesthepalmofhishandtoaperpendicularreproof，——andgentlemen。“Atthispointtheaudienceisthoroughlycowed。Ladiesandgentlemenandfellowcitizens。Ithankyouforthehonouryouhavedonemeincomingheretolistentotheopeningspeechofmycampaignto-night。Itisacampaignfordecencyandgoodgovernment，andIknowthatthecommonpeopleoftheState——ofwhomIhavethehonourtobeone——demandthesethings。I

cannotsayasmuchfortheso-calledprominentcitizens，“saidMr。Crewe，glancingabouthim；“notoneofyourprominentcitizensinRiptonwouldventuretooffendthepowersthatbebyconsentingtointroducemeto-

night，ordaredcomeintothistheatreandtakeseatswithinthirtyfeetofthisplatform。“HereMr。Crewelethiseyesrestsignificantlyontheelevenemptyrows，whilehishearerssquirmedinterrifiedsilenceatthisaudacity。EventheRiptonwomenknewthatthiswashightreasonbeneaththewallsofthecitadel，andmanyofthemglancedfurtivelyatthestrangelycomposeddaughterofAugustusP。Flint。

“IwillshowyouthatIcanstandonmyownfeet，“Mr。Crewecontinued。

willintroducemyself。IamHumphreyCreweofLeith，andIclaimtohaveaddedsomethingtothewelfareandprosperityofthisState，andIintendtoaddmorebeforeIhavefinished。“

Atthispoint，asmighthavebeenexpected，spontaneousapplausebrokeforth，originatingintheright-handstagebox。Herewasadaringdefianceindeed，acourageofsuchahighorderthatitcompletelycarriedawaytheladiesanddrewreluctantplauditsfromthemaleelement。“Giveitto\'em，Humphrey！“saidoneofthosewhohappenedtobesittingnexttoMissFlint，andwhoreceivedaveryseverepinchinthearminconsequence。

“Ithankthegentleman，“answeredMr。Crewe，“andIproposeto-

(Handclappingandsachet。)Iproposetoshowthatyouspendsomethingliketwohundredthousanddollarsayeartoelectlegislatorsandsend\'emtothecapital，whentherealgovernmentofyourStateisinaroominthePelicanHotelknownastheRailroadRoom，andtherealgovernorisacitizenofyourtown，theHonourableHilaryVane，whositsthereandactsforhismaster，Mr。AugustusP。FlintofNewYork。AndIproposetoprovetoyouthat，beforetheHonourableAdamB。Huntappearedasthatwhichhascometobeknownasthe\'regular\'candidate，Mr。FlintsentforhimtogotoNewYorkandexactedcertainpromisesfromhim。Notthatitwasnecessary，buttheNortheasternRailroadsnevertakeanychances。

(Laughter。)TheHonourableAdamB。Huntiswhattheycalla\'safe\'man，meaningbythatamanwhowilldowhatMr。Flintwantshimtodo。WhileIamnot\'safe\'becauseIhavedaredtodefytheminyourname，andwilldowhatthepeoplewantmetodo。(Clappingandcheersfromagentlemaninthedarkness，afterwardsidentifiedasMr。Tooting。)Now，myfriends，areyougoingtocontinuetoallowacitizenofNewYorktonominateyourgovernors，anddoyouintend，tamely，togivetheHonourableAdamB。Huntyourvotes？“

“Theyain\'tgotanyvotes，“saidavoice——notthatofMr。HastingsWeare，foritcamefromthedepthsofthegallery。

“\'Thehandthatrocksthecradleswaystheworld，\'“answeredMr。Crewe，andtherewasnodoubtaboutthesincerityoftheapplausethistime。

“ThecampaignoftheHonourableHumphreyCreweofLeith，“saidtheStateTribunenextday，“wasinauguratedattheOperaHouseinRiptonlastnightbeforeanenthusiasticaudienceconsistingofMr。AustenVane，Mr。

ThomasGaylord，Jr。，Mr。HamiltonTooting，tworeporters，andseventy-

fourladies，whocheeredthespeakertotheecho。AbouthalfoftheseladiesweresummerresidentsofLeithinchargeofthewell-knownsocialleader，Mrs。PattersonPomfret，——anorganizedleaguewhich，itisunderstood，willfollowthecandidateabouttheStateintheEnglishfashion，kissingthebabiesandteachingthemothershygieniccookingandhowtoondulethehair。“

Afterspeakingforanhourandahalf，theHonourableHumphreyCrewedeclaredthathewouldbegladtomeetanyoftheaudiencewhowishedtoshakehishand，anditwasMrs。Pomfretwhoreachedhimfirst。

“Don\'tbediscouraged，Humphrey，——youaremagnificent，“shewhispered。

“Discouraged！“echoedMr。Crewe。“Youcan\'tkillanidea，andwe\'llseewho\'srightandwho\'swrongbeforeIgetthroughwith\'em。“

“Whatanoblespirit！“Mrs。PomfretexclaimedasidetoMrs。Chillingham。

Thensheadded，inaloudertone，“Ladies，ifyouwillkindlytellmeyournames，Ishallbehappytointroduceyoutothecandidate。Well，Victoria，Ididn\'texpecttoseeyouhere。“

“Whynot？“saidVictoria。“Humphrey，acceptmycongratulations。“

“Didyoulikeit？“askedMr。Crewe。“Ithoughtitwasaprettygoodspeechmyself。There\'snothingliketellingthetruth，youknow。And，bytheway，Ihopetoseeyouinadayortwo，beforeIstartforKingston。TelephonemewhenyoucomedowntoLeith。“

ThecongratulationsbestowedonthecandidatebythedaughterofthepresidentoftheNortheasternRailroadsquitetookthebreathoutofthespectatorswhowitnessedtheincident，andgaverisetothewildestconjectures。AndtheadmirationofMr。HastingsWearewasunbounded。

“You\'vegotthemostmagnificentnerveIeversaw，Victoria，“heexclaimed，astheymadetheirwaytowardsthedoor。

“YouforgetHumphrey，“shereplied。

Hastingslookedatherandchuckled。Infact，hechuckledallthewayhome。InthevestibuletheymetMr。AustenVaneandMr。ThomasGaylord，thelattercomingforwardwithacertainpalpableembarrassment。AllthroughtheeveningTomhadbeentryingtoaccountforherpresenceatthemeeting，untilAustenhadbeggedhimtokeephisspeculationstohimself。“Shecan\'tbeengagedtohim！“Mr。Gaylordhadexclaimedmorethanonce，underhisbreath。“Whynot？“Austenhadanswered；“there\'sagooddealabouthimtoadmire。““Becauseshe\'sgotmoresense，“saidTomdoggedly。Hencehewasatalossforwordswhenshegreetedhim。

“Well，Mr。Gaylord，“shesaid，“youseenoboneswerebroken，afterall。

ButIappreciatedyourprecautioninsendingthebuggybehindme，althoughitwasn\'tnecessary。

“Ifeltsomewhatresponsible，“repliedTom，andwordsfailedhim。

“Here\'sAustenVane，“headded，indicatingbyanodoftheheadtheobviouspresenceofthatgentleman。“You\'llexcuseme。There\'samanhereIwanttosee。“

“What\'sthematterwithMr。Gaylord？“Victoriaasked。“Heseemsso——

queer。“

Theywerestandingapart，alone，HastingsWearehavinggonetothestablesfortherunabout。

“Mr。Gaylordimagineshedoesn\'tgetalongwiththeoppositesex，“Austenreplied，withjustashadeofconstraint。

“Nonsense！“exclaimedVictoria；“wegotalongperfectlytheotherdaywhenherescuedmefromthebushes。What\'sthematterwithhim？“

Austenlaughed，andtheireyesmet。

“Ithinkheisrathersurprisedtoseeyouhere，“hesaid。

“Andyou？“returnedVictoria。“Aren\'tyouequallyoutofplace？“

HedidnotcaretogointoanexplanationofTom\'ssuspicioninregardtoMr。Crewe。

“Mycuriositywastoomuchforme，“hereplied，smiling。

“Sowasmine，“shereplied，andsuddenlydemanded:“WhatdidyouthinkofHumphrey\'sspeech？“

Theireyesmet。Anddespitetheattemptedseriousnessofhertonetheyjoinedinanirresistibleandspontaneouslaughter。Theywereagainonthatplaneofmutualunderstandingandintimacyforwhichneithercouldaccount。

“IhavenocriticismtomakeofMr。Creweasanorator，atleast，“hesaid。

Thenshegrewseriousagain，andregardedhimsteadfastly。

“And——whathesaid？“sheasked。

Austenwonderedagainatthecourageshehaddisplayed。Allhehadbeenabletothinkofinthetheatre，whilelisteningtoMr。Crewe\'swordsofdenunciationoftheNortheasternRailroads，hadbeenoftheeffecttheymighthaveonVictoria\'sfeelings，andfromtimetotimehehadglancedanxiouslyatherprofile。Andnow，lookingintoherface，questioning，trustful——hecouldnotevenattempttoevade。Hewassilent。

“Ishouldn\'thaveaskedyouthat，“shesaid。“OnereasonIcamewasbecause——becauseIwantedtoheartheworst。Youweretooconsideratetotellme——all。“

Helookedmutelyintohereyes，andagreatdesirearoseinhimtobeabletocarryherawayfromitall。Manytimeswithinthepastyear，whenthetroublesandcomplicationsofhislifehadweigheduponhim，histhoughtshadturnedto，thatWesterncountry，limitedonlybythebrighthorizonswherethesunroseandset。Ifhecouldonlytakeherthere，orintohisownhills，wherenomanmightfollowthem！Itwasaprimevallonging，and，beingawomanandtheobjectofit，shesawitsessentialmeaninginhisface。ForabriefmomenttheystoodascompletelyaloneasonthecrestofSawanec。

“Goodnight，“shesaid，inalowvoice。

Hedidnottrusthimselftospeakatonce，butwentdownthestepswithhertothecurb，whereHastingsWearewaswaitingintherunabout。

“IwasjusttellingMissFlint，“saidthatyounggentleman，“thatyouwouldhavebeenmycandidate。“

Austen\'sfacerelaxed。

“Thankyou，Mr。Weare，“hesaidsimply；andtoVictoria，“Goodnight。“

Atthecorner，whensheturned，shesawhimstillstandingontheedgeofthesidewalk，histallfigurethrownintoboldreliefbythelightwhichfloodedfromtheentrance。TheaccountoftheRiptonmeeting，substantiallyasitappearedintheStateTribune，wasbyasingularcoincidencecopiedatonceintosixty-oddweeklynewspapers，andmusthavecausedendlessmerrimentthroughouttheState。CongressmanFairplay\'sprophecyof“negligible“wasanexaggeration，andonegentlemanwhohadrashlypredictedthatMr。Crewewouldgettwentydelegatesoutofathousandhidhimselfforshame。Onthewhole，the“monumentalfarce“forecastseemedbesttofitthesituation。A

conferencewasheldatLeithbetweenthecandidate，Mr。Tooting，andtheHonourableTimothyWatlingofNewcastle，whowaspreparingthenominatingspeech，althoughtheconventionwasmorethantwomonthsdistant。Mr。

Watlingwasskilledinroundedperiodsoforatoryandinotherthingspolitical；andbothheandMr。TootingreiteratedtheiropinionthattherewasnoparticleofdoubtaboutMr。Crewe\'snomination。

“Butwe\'llhavetofightfirewithfire，“Mr。Tootingdeclared。Itwasprobablyanaccidentthathehappenedtokick，atthisinstant，Mr。

Watlingundercoverofthetable。Mr。Watlingwasanoldandvaluedfriend。

“Gentlemen，“saidMr。Crewe，“Ihaven\'ttheslightestdoubtofmynomination，either。Idonothesitatetosay，however，thattheexpensesofthiscampaign，atthisearlystage，seemtomeoutofallproportion。

Letmeseewhatyouhavethere。“

TheHonourableTimothyWadinghadproducedatypewrittenlistcontainingsomeeightytownsandwards，eachfollowedbyanameandthenumberofthedelegatestherefrom——andfigures。

“They\'dallbeenthusiasticCrewemen——iftheycouldbeseenbytherightparty，“declaredMr。Tooting。

Mr。Creweranhiseyeoverthelist。

“Whomwouldyousuggesttosee\'em？“heaskedcoldly。

“There\'sonlyonepartyIknowofthathasmuchinfluenceover\'em，“Mr。

Tootingreplied，withagenialbutdeferentialindicationofhisfriend。

AtthispointMr。Crewe\'ssecretarylefttheroomonanerrand，andthethreestatesmenwentintoexecutivesession。Inpolitics，asincharity，itisagoodrulenottoletone\'srighthandknowwhatthelefthanddoeth。Halfanhourlaterthethreeemergedintothesunlight，Mr。

TootingandMr。Watlingsmokinglargecigars。

“You\'vegotagreatlay-outhere，Mr。Crewe，“Mr。Watlingremarked。“Itmusthavestoodyouinalittlemoney，eh？Yes，I\'llgetmileagebooks，andyou\'llhearfrommeeverydayortwo。“

Andnowwearecometotheinfinitelydifficulttaskofrelatinginawhirlwindmannerthestoryofawhirlwindcampaign——acampaignthatwastomaketheoldestresidentsitupandtakenotice。Inthespaceoffourshortweeksamiraclehadbeguntoshowitself。First，therewastheKingstonmeeting，withthecandidate，histhumbinhiswatch-pocket，seatedinanopencarriagebesideMr。HamiltonTooting，——acarriagedrapedwithasheetonwhichwaspainted“DownwithRailroadRingRule。“

ThecarriagewasprecededbytheKingstonBrassBand，producingthrobbingmartialmelodies，andfollowed(wearenotgoingtobelievetheStateTribuneanylonger)byajostling\'andcheeringcrowd。ThebandhaltsbeforetheG。A。R。Hall；thecandidatealights，withabowofacknowledgment，andgoestotheprivateofficeuntilthemusiciansareseatedinfrontoftheplatform，whenheenterstorenewedcheeringandthetuneof“See，theConqueringHeroComes！“

Anhonesthistorianmustadmitthatthereweretwoaccountsofthismeeting。BothagreethatMr。Creweintroducedhimself，andpouredawitheringsarcasmontheheadsofKingston\'sprominentcitizens。Oneaccount，whichtheill-natureddeclaredtobeinMr。Tooting\'sstyle，andwhichappeared(inslightlylargertypethanthatoftheothercolumns)

intheKingstonandlocalpapers，statedthatthehallwascrowdedtosuffocation，andthatthecandidatewas“accordedanovationwhichlastedforfullyfiveminutes。“

Mr。Crewe\'sspeechwasprinted——inthisslightlylargertype。WoetotheHonourableAdamB。Hunt，whohadgonetoNewYorktoseewhetherhecouldbegovernor！Whydidn\'thecomeoutontheplatform？Becausehecouldn\'t。“Safe“candidatescouldn\'ttalk。HissubservientandfawningreportsonaccidentswhilechairmanoftheRailroadCommissionwereruthlesslyquoted(amidcheersandlaughter)。WhatkindofrailroadservicewasKingstongettingcomparedtowhatitshouldhave？Compared，indeed，towhatithadtwentyyearsago？Aninformalreceptionwasheldafterwards。

Moremeetingsfollowed，attherateoffouraweek，incountyaftercounty。Attheendoffifteendaysaselectman(whosenamewillgodowninhistory)voluntarilymountedtheplatformandintroducedtheHonourableHumphreyCrewetotheaudience；not，tobesure，asthesaviouroftheState；andfromthatdayonwardMr。Crewedidnotlackforasponsor。Ontheotherhand，thesponsorsbecamemorepronounced，andatHarwich(afree-thinkingdistrict)awholeboardofselectmenandfiveprominentcitizenssatgravelybesidethecandidateinthetownhall。

(1)PaulPardriff，Ripton。Sentpostfree，onapplication，tovotersandothers。

EndofMr。Crewe\'sCareer，V2

byWinstonChurchillMR。CREWE\'SCAREER

byWinstonChurchillBOOK3。

CHAPTERXXI

ST。GILESOFTHEBLAMELESSLIFE

Theburdenofthevalleyofvision:woetotheHonourableAdamB。Hunt！

Whereisheallthistime？OntheporchofhishomeinEdmundton，smokingcigars，littleheedingtherisingofthewaters；receivingvisitsfromtheHonourablesBrushBascom，NatBillings，andJacobBotcher，andsigningchequestotheorderofthesegentlemenfornecessaryexpenses。

BeitknownthattheHonourableAdamwasamanofsubstanceinthisworld\'sgoods。ToquotefromMr。Crewe\'sspeechatHull:“TheNortheasternRailroadsconfer——theydonotpay，exceptinpasses。Oflateyearstheirbooksmaybesearchedinvainforevidenceoftheuseofpoliticalfunds。Themanuponwhomtheychoosetoconferyourgovernorshipisalwaysabletopaythepipers。“(Purposelyputintheplural。)

HavethepiperswarnedtheHonourableAdamoftherisingtideagainsthim？Havetheyaskedhimtogirduphisloinsandhirehallsandsmitetheupstarthipandthigh？Theyhavewarnedhim，yes，thattheexpensesmaybealittlegreaterthanordinary。Butitisnotforhimtotalk，ortobestirhimselfinanyunseemlymanner，fortheprizewhichhewastohavewasinthenatureofagift。InvaindidMr。Crewecryouttohimfourtimesaweekforhispoliticalbeliefs，forastatementofwhathewoulddoifhewereelectedgovernor。TheHonourableAdam\'sdignifiedanswerwasthathehadalwaysbeenagoodRepublican，andwoulddieone。

Followingatime-honouredcustom，herefusedtosayanything，butitwasrumouredthathebelievedinthegoldstandard。

ItisAugust，andthereisrejoicingin——Leith。Thereisnodoubtnowthatthecampaignofthepeopleprogresses；noneedanymoreforthetrueaccountsofthemeetings，inlargeprint，althoughthesearestillcontinued。Thereformralliesresemblematineesnolonger，andtworealreportersaccompanyMr。Creweonhistours。Nay，thecampaignofeducationhasalreadybornefruit，whichthecandidatedidnothesitatetomentioninhistalksEdmundtonhasmoretrains，Kingstonhasmoretrains，andmorecars。Noneednowtostandupfortwentymilesonahotday；andmorecarsarebuilding，andmoreengines；likewisesomerateshavebeenlowered。AndeditorswhodeclarethattheNortheasterngivestheStateaprettygoodgovernmenthave，liketheguineapigs，longbeensuppressed。

InthesedaysweremanycouncilsatFairviewandintheofficesoftheHonourableHilaryVaneatRipton；councilsbehindcloseddoors，fromwhichthecouncillorsemergedwithsmilingfacesthatmenmightnotknowthemisgivingsintheirhearts；councils，nevertheless，outofwhichleakedrumoursofdissensionandrecriminationconditionshithertounheardof。Onepostrantomeetanother，andonemessengerrantomeetanother；anditwasevenreported——thoughondoubtfulauthority——aftertherallyinhistowntheHonourableJacobBotcherhadmadetheremarkthat，undercertainconditions，hemightbecomeareformer。

Noneoftheseupsettingrumours，however，wereallowedbyMr。BascomandothergentlemenclosetotheHonourableAdamB。Hunttoreachthatcandidate，whocontinuedtosmokeintranquillityontheporchofhishomeuntilthefifteenthdayofAugust。Ateighto\'clockthatmorningthepostmanbroughthimalettermarkedpersonal，thehandwritingonwhichherecognizedasbelongingtotheHonourableHilaryVane。Forsomereason，asheread，thesensationsoftheHonourableAdamweredisquieting；thecontentsoftheletter，tosaytheleast，werepeculiar。

“To-morrow，atnoonprecisely，IshallbedrivingalongtheBroadBrookroadbytheabandonedmill——threemilestowardsEdmundtonfromHull。I

hopeyouwillfinditconvenienttobethere。“\'

ThesewerethestrangewordstheHonourableHilaryhadwritten，andtheHonourableAdamknewthatitwasanorder。AtthatveryinstantMr。HunthadbeenreadingintheGuardiantheaccountofanoverflowmeetinginNewcastle，byhisopponent，inwhichMr。Crewehadmadesomeparticularlychoiceremarksabouthim；andhadbeencheeredtotheecho。TheHonourableAdamputthepaperdown，andwalkedupthestreettotalktoMr。Burrows，thepostmasterwhom，withtheaidofCongressmanFairplay，hehad-hadappointedatEdmundton。Thetworackedtheirbrainsforthreehours；andPostmasterBurrows，whowasthefortunatepossessorofapass，offeredtogodowntoRiptonintheinterestofhisliegelordandseewhatwasup。TheHonourableAdam，however，decidedthathecouldwaitfortwenty-fourhours。

Themorningofthesixteenthdawnedclear，asbeautifulasummer\'sdayforadriveasanymancouldwish。ButthespiritoftheHonourableAdamdidnotrespondtotheweather，andhehadcertainvagueforebodingsashishorsejoggedtowardHull，althoughthesedidnottakesuchadefiniteshapeastomakehimfeelapremonitorypullofhiscoat-tails。Theruinedmillbesidetherushingstreamwasapicturesquespot，andthefigureoftheHonourableHilaryVane，seatedontheoldmillstone，inthegreenandgoldshadowsofabeech，gaveaninterestingtouchoflifetothelandscape。TheHonourableAdamdrewupandeyedhisfriendandassociateofmanyyearsbeforeaddressinghim。

“Howareyou，Hilary？“

“Hitchyourhorse，“saidMr。Vane。

TheHonourableAdamwassometimeinpickingoutaconvenienttree。Thenhelightedacigar，andapproachedMr。Vane，andatlengthlethimselfdown，cautiously，onthemillstone。SittingonhisporchhadnotimprovedMr。Hunt\'sfigure。

“Thisiskindofmysterious，ain\'tit，Hilary？“heremarked，withatugathisgoatee。

“Idon\'tknowbutwhatitis，“admittedMr。Vane，whodidnotlookasthoughthecomingepisodeweretogivehimunqualifiedjoy。

“Fineweather，“remarkedtheHonourableAdam，withabraveattemptatgeniality。

“Thepaperpredictsrainto-morrow，“saidtheHonourableHilary。

“Youdon\'tsmoke，doyou？“askedtheHonourableAdam。

“No，“saidtheHonourableHilary。

Asilence，exceptforthemusicofthebrookoverthebrokendam。

“Prettyplace，“saidtheHonourableAdam；“Ikissedmywifehereonce——

beforeIwasmarried。“

Thisremark，althoughofinterest，theHonourableHilaryevidentlythoughtdidnotrequireananswer:

“Adam，“saidMr。Vane，presently，“howmuchmoneyhaveyouspentsofar？“

“Well，“saidMr。Hunt，“ithasbeensortofcostly，butBrushandtheboystellmethetimesareuncommon，andIguesstheyare。IfthatcrazycussCrewehadn\'tbrokenloose，itwouldhavebeendifferent。NotthatI\'muneasyabouthim，butallthistalkofhisandnewspaperadvertisinghadtobecounteractedsome。Why，hehasacoupleofcolumnsaweekrighthereintheEdmundtonCourier。Thepapersarebleedin\'himtodeath，certain。“

“Howmuchhaveyouspent？“askedtheHonourableHilary。

TheHonourableAdamscreweduphisfaceandpulledhisgoateethoughtfully。

“Whatareyoutryingtogetat，Hilary，“heinquired，sendingformetomeetyououthereinthewoodsinthiscuriousway？Ifyouwantedtoseeme，whydidn\'tyougetmetogodowntoRipton，orcomeupandsitonmyporch？You\'vebeentherebefore。“

“Times，“saidtheHonourableHilary，repeating，perhapsunconsciously，Mr。Hunt\'swords，“areuncommon。ThismanCrewe\'smakingmoreheadwaythanyouthink。Thepeopledon\'tknowhim，andhe\'sstruckapopularnote。It\'sthefashiontobedownonrailroadsthesedays。“

“I\'vetakenthatintoaccount，“repliedMr。Hunt。

“It\'sunlucky，anditcomeshigh。Idon\'tthinkhe\'sgotashowforthenomination，butmydander\'sup，andI\'llbeathimifIhavetomortgagemyhouse。“

TheHonourableHilarygrunted，andruminated。

“Howmuchdidyousayyou\'dspent，Adam？“

“IfyouthinkI\'mnotfreeenough，I\'llloosenupalittlemore，“saidtheHonourableAdam。

“Howfreehaveyoubeen？“saidtheHonourableHilary。

Forsomereasonthequestion，putinthisform，wasproductiveofresults。

“Ican\'tsaytoadollar，butI\'vegotalltheamountsdowninabook。I

guesssomewhereintheneighbourhoodofninethousandwouldcoverit。“

Mr。Vanegruntedagain。

“Wouldyoutakeacheque，Adam？“heinquired。

“Whatfor？“criedtheHonourableAdam。

“Fortheamountyou\'vespent，“saidtheHonourableHilary，sententiously。

TheHonourableAdambegantobreathewithapparentdifficulty，andhisfacegrewpurple。ButMr。Vanedidnotappeartonoticethesealarmingsymptoms。Thenthecandidateturnedabout，asonapivot，seizedMr。

Vanebytheknee，andlookedintohisface。

“Didyoucomeupherewithordersformetogetout？“hedemanded，withsomepardonableviolence。“Bythunder，Ididn\'tthinkthatofmyoldfriend，HilaryVane。Yououghttohaveknownmebetter，andFlintoughttohaveknownmebetter。Thereain\'tamiteofuseofourstayinghereanothersecond，andyoucangorightbackandtellFlintwhatIsaid。

FlintknowsI\'vebeenwaitingtobegovernorforeightyears，andeachyearit\'sbeenjustayearahead。YouaskhimwhathesaidtomewhenhesentformetogotoNewYork。Ithoughthewasamanofhisword，andhepromisedmethatIshouldbegovernorthisyear。“

TheHonourableHilarygavenoindicationofbeingmovedbythisrighteousoutburst。

“Youcanbegovernornextyear，whenthisreformnonsensehasblownover，“hesaid。“Youcan\'tbethisyear，evenifyoustayintherace。“

“Whynot？“theHonourableAdamaskedpugnaciously。

“Yourrecordwon\'tstandit——notjustnow，“saidMr。Vane，slowly。

“Myrecordisjustasgoodasyours，oranyman\'s，“saidtheHonourableAdam。

“Ineverrunforoffice，“answeredMr。Vane。

“Haven\'tIspentthedaysofmyactivelifeintheserviceofthatroad——

andisthismyreward？Haven\'tIdonewhatFlintwantedalways？“

“That\'sjustthetrouble，“saidtheHonourableHilary；toomanyfolksknowit。Ifwe\'regoingtowinthistime，we\'vegottohaveamanwho\'sneverhadanyNortheasternconnections。“

“Whohaveyoupicked？“demandedtheHonourableAdam，withalarmingcalmness。

“Wehaven\'tpickedanybodyyet，“saidMr。Vane，“butthemanwhogoesinwillgiveyouachequeforwhatyou\'vespent，andyoucanbegovernornexttime。“

“Well，ifthisisn\'tthed-dest，coldest-bloodedpropositionevermade，I

wanttoknow！“criedtheHonourableAdam。“WillFlintputupabondofonehundredthousanddollarsthatI\'llbenominatedandelectednextyear？ThisistheclearestcaseofgoingbackonanoldfriendIeversaw。Ifthisisthewayyoufellowsgetscaredbecauseashamreformergetsupandhollersagainsttheroad，thenIwanttoservenoticeonyouthatI\'mnotmadeofthatkindofstuff。WhenIgointoafight，Igointostay，andyoucan\'tpullmeoutbythecoat-tailsinfavourofasaintwho\'sneverdonealickofworkfortheroad。YoutellFlintthat。“

“Allright，Adam，“saidHilary。

SomenoteinHilary\'svoice，ashemadethisbriefanswer，suddenlysoberedtheHonourableAdam，andsentacoldchilldownhisspine。HehadhadmanydealingswithMr。Vane，andhehadalwaysbeenasputtyinthechiefcounsel\'shands。ThissimpleacquiescencedidmoretoconvincetheHonourableAdamthathischancesofnominationwereinrealdangerthanalongandforcefulsummaryofthesituationcouldhaveaccomplished。Butlikemanyweakmen，theHonourableAdamhadastubbornstreak，andafatuousideathatoppositionandindignationweresignsofstrength。

“I\'vemadesacrificesfortheroadbefore，andeffacedmyself。Butbythunder，thisistoomuch！“

Corporations，likerepublics，areproverbiallyungrateful。TheHonourableHilarymighthavevoicedthissentiment，butrefrained。

“Mr。Flint\'sagoodfriendofyours，Adam。Hewantedmetosaythathe\'dalwaystakencareofyou，andalwayswould，sofarasinhispower。Ifyoucan\'tbelandedthistime，it\'scommonsenseforyoutogetout，andwait——isn\'tit？We\'llseethatyougetachequetocoverwhatyou\'veputout。“

ThehumourinthisfinancialsacrificeofMr。Flint\'s(whichtheunknownnewcandidatewastomakewithacheque)struckneithertheHonourableAdamnortheHonourableHilary。Thetransaction，ifeffected，wouldresemblethatoftheshrinetotheVirginbuiltbyagratefulMarquisofMantua——whichaJewpaidfor。

TheHonourableAdamgottohisfeet。

“YoucantellFlint，“hesaid，“thatifhewillsignabondofonehundredthousanddollarstoelectmenexttime，I\'llgetout。That\'smylastword。“

“Allright，Adam，“repliedMr。Vane，risingalso。

Mr。HuntstaredattheHonourableHilarythoughtfully；andalthoughthegubernatorialcandidatewasnotanobservantman，hewassuddenlystruckbythefactthatthechiefcounselwasgrowingold。

“Iwon\'tholdthisagainstyou，Hilary，“hesaid。

“Politics，“saidtheHonourableHilary，“arebusinessmatters。“

“I\'llshowFlintthatitwouldhavebeengoodbusinesstosticktome，“

saidtheHonourableAdam。“Whenbegetspanicky，andspendsallhismoneyonnewequipmentandservice，it\'stimeformetodrophim。Youcantellhimsofromme。“

“Hadn\'tyoubetterwritehim？“saidtheHonourableHilary。

TherumouroftheentryofMr。GilesHendersonofKingstonintothegubernatorialcontestpreceded，bytendaysorso，theactualevent。Itisdifficultforthehistoriantounraveltheprecisecircumstanceswhichledtothiscandidacy。ConservativecitizensthroughouttheState，itwasunderstood，hadbecomegreatlyconcernedoverthetrendpoliticalaffairsweretaking；theradicaldoctrinesofonecandidate——propoundedforveryobviousreasons——theyturnedfromindisgust；ontheotherhand，itwasevidentthatanunderlyingfeelingexistedincertainsectionsthatanycandidatewhowassaidtohavehadmoreorlessconnectionwiththeNortheasternRailroadswasundesirableatthepresenttime。ThiswasnottobetakenasareflectionontheNortheastern，whichhadbeenthechiefsourceoftheState\'sprosperity，butmerelyasanacknowledgmentthatapublicopinionundoubtedlyexisted，andoughttobetakenintoconsiderationbythemenwhocontrolledtheRepublicanparty。

Thiswasthegistofleadingarticleswhichappearedsimultaneouslyinseveralnewspapers，apparentlybeforethehappythoughtofbringingforwardMr。GilesHendersonhadoccurredtoanybody。Hewasmentionedfirst，andmostproperly，bytheeditorofthe“KingstonPilot；“andthearticle，withcommentsuponit，ranlikewildfirethroughthepressoftheState，——appearingeveninthosesheetswhichmaintainededitoriallythattheywerefortheHonourableAdamB。Huntfirstandlastand，allthetime。WhereuponMr。GilesHendersonbegantoreceivevisitsfromthesolidmen——notpoliticiansofthevariouscitiesandcounties。Forinstance，Mr。SilasTredwayofRipton，madesuchapilgrimageand，asacitizenwhohadvotedin1860forAbrahamLincoln(showingMr。Tredwayhimselftohavebeenaradicalonce)，appealedtoMr。HendersontosavetheState。

AtfirstMr。Hendersonwouldgivenoeartotheseappeals，butshookhisheadpessimistically。Hewasnotapolitician——somuchthebetter，wedon\'twantapolitician；hewasaplainbusinessmanexactlywhatisneeded；aconservative，level-headedbusinessmanwhollylackinginthosesensationalqualitieswhichareastenchinthenostrilsofgoodcitizens。Mr。GilesHendersonadmittedthatthetimehadcomewhenamanofthesequalitieswasneeded——buthewasnottheman。Mr。Tredwaywastheman——sohetoldMr。Tredway；Mr。GatesofBramptonwastheman——soheassuredMr。Gates。Mr。Hendersonhadnodesiretomeddleinpolitics；

hislifewasahappyandafullone。ButwasitnotMr。Henderson\'sduty？Cincinnatuslefttheplough，andMr。Hendersonshouldleavetheledgeratthecallofhiscountrymen。

Mr。GilesHendersonwasmild-manneredandblue-eyed，withascantybeardthatwasturningwhite；hewasadeaconofthechurch，amemberoftheschoolboard，presidentoftheKingstonNationalBank；themainbusinessofhislifehadbeenincoal(whichincidentallyhadhadtobetransportedovertheNortheasternRailroads)；andcoalrates，forsomereason，werecheaperfromKingstonthanfrommanypointsoutoftheStatethedistancesofwhichwerenearer。Mr。HendersonhadbeenabletosellhiscoalatalowerpricethananyotherlargedealerintheeasternpartoftheState。Mr。HendersonwastheholderofalargeamountofstockintheNortheastern，inheritedfromhisfather。Factsofnospecialsignificance，andnotprintedintheweeklynewspapers。Mr。HendersonlivedinagloomyGothichouseonHighStreet，atethreeveryplainmealsaday，anddrankicedwater。Hehadbeenagoodhusbandandagoodfather，andhadalwaysvotedtheRepublicanticket。Hebelievedinthegoldstandard，ahightariff，andeternaldamnation。Atlasthisresistancewasovercome，andheconsentedtoallowhisnametobeused。

Itwasused，withavengeance。SpontaneouspraiseofMr。GilesHendersonbubbledupallovertheState，andeditorswhowerefortheHonourableAdamB。Huntsuddenlydevelopedasecondchoice。Nomanwithinthebordersofthecommonwealthhadsomanygoodqualitiesasthenewcandidate，anditmusthavebeenslightlyannoyingtooneofthatgentleman\'sshrinkingnaturetoreaddaily，oncomingdowntobreakfast，alistofvirtuesattributedtohimaslongasarateschedule。Howhemusthavelongedfortherecordofonewickeddeedtomakehimhuman！

WhowillpickaflawinthecharacteroftheHonourableGilesHenderson？

Letthatmannowstandforth。

ThenewsoftheprobableadventofMr。GilesHendersononthefield，aswellasthetidingsofhisactualconsenttobeacandidate，werenotslowinreachingLeith。And——Mr。Crewe\'sBureauofInformationbeinginperfectworkingorder——thedastardlyattemptontheHonourableAdamB。

Hunt\'scoat-tailswasknownthere。Morewonderstorelate:theHonourableAdamB。Hunthadbecomeareformer；hehadmadeastatementatlast，inwhichhedeclaredwithvigourthatnomachineorringwasbehindhim；hestoodonhisownmerits，invitedtheminutestinspectionofhisrecord，declaredthathewasanadvocateofgoodgovernment，andifelectedwouldbetheservantofnomanandofnocorporation。

Thrice-blessedState，inwhichtherewerenowthreereformcandidatesforgovernor！

Allofthesehappeningswenttoindicateconfusionintheenemy\'scamp，andcorrespondingelationinMr。Crewe\'s。Woetothereputationforpoliticalsagacityofthegentlemanwhohadusedthewords“negligible“

and“monumentalfarce“！Thetidewasturning，andthecandidatefromLeithredoubledhisefforts。HadhebeenconfoundedbytheadventoftheHonourableGiles？Notatall。Mr。Crewewasnotgiventosatire；hismethods，asweknow，weredirect。HencetherealauthorofthefollowingpassageinhisspeechbeforeanoverflowmeetingintheStatecapitalremainsunknown:

“Myfriends，“Mr。Crewehadsaid，“IhavebeenwaitingforthetimewhenSt。GilesoftheBlamelessLifewouldbepushedforward，apparentlyastheonlyhopeofourso-called\'solidcitizens。\'(Prolongedlaughter，andaudiblerepetitionsofMr。Henderson\'snickname，whichwastostick。)I

willtellyoubywhosedesireSt。Gilesbecameacandidate，andwhosebiddinghewilldoifhebecomesgovernorasblindlyandobedientlyastheHonourableAdamB。Hunteverdid。(Shoutsof“Flint！“and，“TheNortheastern！“)Iseeyouknow。WhosentthesolidcitizenstoseeMr。

Henderson？(“Flint！“)Thisisaclevertrick——exactlywhatIshouldhavedoneifI\'dbeenrunningtheircampaign——onlytheydidn\'tdoitearlyenough。TheypickedMr。GilesHendersonfortworeasons:becausehelivesinKingston，whichisanti-railroadandsupportedtheGaylordbill，and，becauseheneverinhislifecommittedanypositiveaction，goodorbad——andheneverwill。Andtheymadeanothermistake——theHonourableAdamB。Huntwouldn\'tbackout。“(Laughterandcheers。)

CHAPTERXXII

INWHICHEUPHRASIATAKESAHAND

AustenhadnotforgottenhispromisetoEuphrasia，andhehadgonetoHanoverStreetmanytimessincehissojournatMr。JabeJenney\'s。

Usuallythesevisitshadtakenplaceinthemiddleoftheday，whenEuphrasia，withgentlebutdeterminedinsistence，hadmadehimsitdownbeforesomemorselwhichshehadpreparedagainsthiscoming，andwhichhehadnotthehearttorefuse。InanswertohisinquiriesaboutHilary，shewouldtossherheadandreply，disdainfully，thathewasascomfortableasheshouldbe。ForEuphrasiahadherownstrictideasofjustice，andtohermindHilary\'ssufferingwasdeserved。Thatsufferingwasallthemoreterriblebecauseitwassilent，butEuphrasiawasasternwoman。ToknowthathemissedAusten，tofeelthatHilarywasbeingjustlypunishedforhistreatmentofheridol，forhiscallousneglectandlackofrealizationoftheblessingsofhislife——thesewereEuphrasia\'sgrimcompensations。

Attimes，even，shehadexperiencedastrangerejoicingthatshehadpromisedAustentoremainwithhisfather，forthusithadbeengivenhertobethedailywitnessofaretributionforwhichshehadlongedduringmanyyears。Nordidshestrivetohideherfeelings。Theirintercourse，nevervoluminous，hadshrunktothebarestnecessitiesfortheuseofspeech；butHilary，eversincethenightofhisson\'sdeparture，hadreadinthefaceofhishousekeeperaknowledgeofhissuffering，anexultationathousandtimesmoremaddeningthanthelittlereproachesoflanguagewouldhavebeen。Heavoidedhermorethanever，andmustmanytimeshaveregrettedbitterlythefactthathehadbetrayedhimselftoher。AsforEuphrasia，shehadnonotionofdisclosingHilary\'storturetohisson。Shewasdeterminedthatthevictory，whenitcame，shouldbeAusten\'s，andthesurrenderHilary\'s。

“Hemanagestoeathismeals，andgetsalongascommon，“shewouldreply。

Heonlythinksofhimselfandthatrailroad。“

ButAustenreadbetweenthelines。

“PooroldJudge，“hewouldanswer；“it\'sbecausehe\'smadethatway，Phrasie。Hecan\'thelpit，anymorethanIcanhelpflinginglaw-booksonthefloorandrunningofftothecountrytohaveagoodtime。YouknowaswellasIdothathehasn\'thadmuchjoyoutoflife；thathe\'dliketobedifferent，onlyhedoesn\'tknowhow。“

“Ican\'tseethatittakesmuchknowledgetotreatawifeandsonlikehumanbeings，“Euphrasiaretorted；“that\'sonlycommonhumanity。Foramanthatgoestomeetin\'twiceaweek，you\'dhavethoughthe\'dhavelearnedsomethingbythistimeoutoftheNewTestament。He\'sprayedenoughinhislife，goodnessknows！“

NowEuphrasia\'sordinarilysharpeyesweresharpenedanhundredfoldbyaffection；andoflate，atoddmomentsduringhisvisits，Austenhadsurprisedthemfixedonhimwithapenetrationthattroubledhim。

“Youdon\'tseemtofancythetartsasmuchasyouusedto，“shewouldremark。“Timewaswhenyou\'deatthreeandfouratasittin\'。“

“Phrasie，oneofyourpersistentfallaciesis，thatI\'mstillaboy。“

“Youain\'tyourself，“saidEuphrasia，ignoringthispleasantry，“andyouain\'tbeenyourselfforsomemonths。I\'veseenit。Ihaven\'tbroughtyouupfornothing。Ifhe\'stroublingyou，don\'tyouworryamite。Heain\'tworthit。Heeatsbetterthanyoudo。“

“I\'mnotworryingmuchaboutthat，“Austenanswered，smiling。“TheJudgeandIwillpatchitupbeforelong——I\'msure。He\'sworriednowoverthesepeoplewhoaremakingtroubleforhisrailroad。“

“Iwishrailroadshadneverbeeninvented，“criedEuphrasia。“Itseemstometheybringnothingbuttrouble。Mymotherusedtogetalongprettywellinastage-coach。“

OneeveninginSeptember，whenthesummerdayswererapidlygrowingshorterandthemistsroseearlierinthevalleyoftheBlue，Austen，whohadstayedlateattheofficepreparingacase，atehissupperattheRiptonHouse。Ashesatinthebigdiningroom，whichwasalmostempty，thesenseoflonelinesswhichhehadexperiencedsooftenoflatecameoverhim，andhethoughtofEuphrasia。Hisfather，heknew，hadgonetoKingstonforthenight，andsohedroveupHanoverStreetandhitchedPeppertothestonepostbeforethedoor。Euphrasia，accordingtoaninvariablecustom，wouldbeknittinginthekitchenatthishour；andatthesightofhiminthewindow，shedroppedherworkwithalittle，joyfulcry。

“Iwasjustthinkingofyou！“shesaid，inalowvoiceoftendernesswhichmanypeoplewouldnothaverecognizedasEuphrasia\'s；asthoughherthoughtsofhimweretheerrantonesofoddmoments！“I\'msogladyoucome。It\'slonesomehereofevenings，Austen。“

Heenteredsilentlyandsatdownbesideher，inaWindsorchairwhichhadbelongedtosomeremoteAustenofbygonedays。

“Youdon\'thaveasgoodthingstoeatupatMis\'Jenney\'sasIgiveyou，“

sheremarked。“Notthatyouappeartocaremuchforeatablesanymore。

Austen，areyoufeelingpoorly？“

“IcandigmorepotatoesinadaythananyothermaninRipton，“hedeclared。

“You\'doughttogetmarried，“saidEuphrasia，abruptly。“I\'vetoldyouthatbefore，butyouneverseemtopayanyattentiontowhatIsay。“

“Whyhaven\'tyoutriedit，Phrasie？“heretorted。

Hewasnotpreparedforwhatfollowed。Euphrasiadidnotansweratonce，butpresentlyherknittingdroppedtoherlap，andshesatstaringattheoldclockonthekitchenshelf。

“Heneveraskedme，“shesaid，simply。

Austenwassilent。Theanswerseemedtorecall，withinfinitepathos，Euphrasia\'slong-lostyouth，andhehadnotthoughtofyouthasaqualitywhichcouldeverhavepertainedtoher。Shemusthavebeenyoungonce，andfresh，andfullofhopeforherself；shemusthaveknown，longago，somethingofwhathenowfelt，somethingofthejoyandpain，somethingoftheinexpressible，neverceasingyearningforthefulfilmentofadesirethatdwarfedallothers。Euphrasiahadbeendeniedthatfulfilment。Andhe——wouldhe，too，bedeniedit？

OutofEuphrasia\'seyes，asshegazedatthemantel-shelf，shonethelightofundyingfireswithin——fireswhichatatouchcouldblazeforthafterendlessyears，transformingthewrinkledface，softeningthesternerlinesofcharacter。Andsuddenlytherewasanewbondbetweenthetwo。Sousedaretheyoungtotheacceptanceofthesacrificeoftheoldthattheylosesightofthatsacrifice。ButAustensawnow，inaflash，theyearsofEuphrasia\'sself-denial，theyearsofmemories，theyearsofregretsforthatwhichmighthavebeen。

“Phrasie，“hesaid，layingahandonhers，whichrestedonthearmofthechair，Iwasonlyjoking，youknow。“

“Iknow，Iknow，“Euphrasiaansweredhastily，andturnedandlookedintohisfacesearchingly。Hereyeswereundimmed，andthelightwasstillinthemwhichrevealedasoulofwhichhehadhadnopreviousknowledge。