Avainerman，alightercharacterthanHumphreyCrewe，wouldhavebeencontenttohavegotsomething；andletitrestatthat。LittleMr。
ButcherorMr。SpeakerDoby，withhissorrowfulsmile，guessedtheironhandwithinthevelvetgloveoftheLeithstatesman；littletheyknewthemantheyweredealingwith。Oncearoused，hewouldnotbepacifiedbybribesofcheapolivebranchesandlaurels。Whenthepropertimecame，hewouldflingdownthegauntlet——beforeRomeitself，andthenletHoratiusandhisfriendsbeware。
Thehourhasstruckatlast——andthemanisnotwanting。TheFrenchRevolutionfoundNapoleonready，andourownCivilWarGeneralUlyssesGrant。Ofthatevermemorablesessionbutthreedaysremained，andthosewhohadbeenpreparedtoriseinthegoodcausehadlongsincedespaired。
ThePingsquitbill，andallotherbillsthatspelledliberty，werestillprisonersinthehandsofgrimjailers，andThomasGaylord，theelder，hadwornseveralholesinthecarpetofhisprivateroominthePelican，andcouldoftenbedescriedfromMainStreetrunningupanddownbetweenthewindowslikeacagedlion，whileyoungTomhadbeenspiedstanding，withhishandsinhispockets，smilingontheworld。
YoungTomhadhisownwayofdoingthings，thoughhelittledreamedofthehelpHeavenwastosendhiminthismatter。Therewas，inthelowerHouse，ayoungmanbythenameofHarper，alawyerfromBrighton，whowassufficientlyeccentricnottocarryapass。Thelightoffame，asthesunsetgildsaweathercockonasteeple，sometimestouchessuchmenforaninstantandmakesthemimmortal。ThenameofMr。Harperisremembered，becauseitislinkedwithagreaterone。ButMr。Harperwasthefirstmanoverthewall。
Historychoosesoddmomentsforherentrances。Itwasattheendofoneofthosebusyafternoonsessions，withafullhouse，whenMessrs。
Bascom，Botcher，andRidouthaddoneenoughofblockingandhackingandhewingtosatisfythosedoughtydefendersofthebridge，thataslight，unprepossessing-lookingyoungmanwithspectaclesarosetomakeamotion。
TheHonourableJacobBotcher，withhisbooksandpapersunderhisarm，wasalreadypickinghiswayuptheaisle，noddinggeniallytosuchofthefaithfulashesaw；Mr。BascomwasattheSpeaker\'sdesk，andMr。RidoutreceivingamessengerfromtheHonourableHilaryatthedoor。TheSpeaker，notwithoutsomedifficulty，recognizedMr。Harperamidstwhatseemedthebeginningofanexodus——andMr。Harperreadhismotion。
Menhaltedintheaisles，andnudgedothermentomakethemstoptalking。
Mr。Harper\'svoicewasnotloud，anditshookatriflewithexcitement，butthosewhoheardpassedonthenewssoswiftlytothosewhohadnotthattheHousewassittingorstandinginamazedsilencebythetimethemotionreachedtheSpeaker，whohadactuallyrisentoreceiveit。
Mr。DobyregardeditforafewsecondsandraisedhiseyesmournfullytoMr。Harperhimself，asmuchastosaythathewouldgivetheyoungmanachancetotakeitbackifhecould——ifthewordshadnotbeenspokenwhichwouldbringtheoffendertotheblockinthebloomandenthusiasmofyouth。MisguidedMr。HarperhadcommittedunutterabletreasontotheEmpire！
“ThegentlemanfromBrighton，Mr。Harper，“saidtheSpeaker，sadly，“offersthefollowingresolution，andmovesitsadoption:\'Resolved，thattheCommitteeonIncorporationsbeinstructedtoreportHousebillnumber302，entitled“AnacttoincorporatethePingsquitRailroad，“byeleven-
thirtyo\'clockto-morrowmorning\'——thegentlemanfromPutnam，Mr。
Bascom。“
TheHouselistenedandlookedonentranced，asthoughtheywerethespectatorstoatragedy。Andindeeditseemedasthoughtheywere。
NeckswerecranedtoseeMr。Harper；hedidn\'tlooklikeahero，butonenevercantellabouttheselittlemen。HehadhurleddefianceattheNortheasternRailroads，andthatwasenoughforMr。RedbrookandMr。
Widgeonandtheirfriends，whopreparedtorushintothefraytrustingtoHeavenforspeechandparliamentarylaw。Oforaleadernow！Horatiusisonthebridge，scarceconcealinghisdisdainforthispunyopponent，andLartiusandHerminiusnottakingthetroubletoarm。Mr。Bascomwillcrushthisonewiththeflatofhissword。
“Mr。Speaker，“saidthatgentleman，informally，“asChairmanoftheCommitteeonIncorporations，Irisetoprotestagainstsuchanunheard-ofmotioninthisHouse。Theveryessenceoforderlyprocedure，ofeffectivebusiness，dependsontheconfidenceoftheHouseinitscommittees，andinallofmyyearsasamemberIhaveneverknownofsuchathing。GentlemenoftheHouse，yourcommitteearegivingtothisbillandothermeasurestheirundividedattention，andwillreportthemattheearliestpracticablemoment。Ihopethatthismotionwillbevoteddown。“
Mr。Bascom，withaglancearoundtoassurehimselfthatmostofthehundredmembersoftheNewcastledelegation——vassalsoftheWinonaCorporationandsubjecttotheEmpire——hadnotmadeuseoftheirpassesandboarded，asusual，thesixo\'clocktrain，tookhisseat。Abuzzofexcitementranoverthehouse，adozenmenwereontheirfeet，includingtheplainlyagitatedMr。Harperhimself。Butwhoisthis，inthelunarcockpitbeforetheSpeaker\'sdesk，demandingfirmlytobeheard——sofirmlythatMr。Harper，withaglanceathim，sitsdownagain；sofirmlythatMr。SpeakerDoby，hypnotizedbyaneye，makestheblunderthatwilleventuallycosthimhisownhead？
“ThegentlemanfromLeith，Mr。Crewe。“
Asthoughsensingadrama，themutteringswerehushedoncemore。Mr。
JacobBotcherleanedforward，andcrackedhisseat；butnone，eventhosewhohadtastedofhishospitality，recognizedthattheBlackKnighthadenteredthelists——thegreatestdeedsofthisworld，andtheheroesofthem，comingunheraldedoutoftheplainclay。Mr。CrewewasthecalmestmanundertheroofashesalutedtheSpeaker，walkeduptotheclerk\'sdesk，turnedhisbacktoit，andleanedbothelbowsonit；andheregardedtheseaoffaceswiththeidenticalself-possessionhehadexhibitedwhenhehadmadehisfamousaddressonnationalaffairs。Hedidnotraisehisvoiceatthebeginning，buthisverypresenceseemedtocompelsilence，andcuriositywasatfeverheat。Whatwashegoingtosay？
“GentlemenoftheHouse，“saidMr。Crewe，“IhavelistenedtothegentlemanfromPutnamwithsome——amusement。HehasmadethestatementthatheandhiscommitteearegivingtothePingsquitbillandothermeasures——someothermeasures——theirundividedattention。OfthisIhavenodoubtwhatever。Heneglectedtodefinethespeciesofattentionheisgivingthem——Ishoulddefineitasthekindlycarewhichthewardenofapenitentiarybestowsuponhischarges。“
Mr。Crewewasinterruptedhere。Thesubmergedfourhundredandseventyhadhadtimetorubtheireyesandgettheirbreath，torealizethattheirchampionhaddealtMr。Bascomablowtocleavehishelm，andaroarofmingledlaughterandexultationaroseinthebackseats，andtherewasmorecraningtoseetheglitteringeyesoftheHonourableBrushandtheexpressionsofhistwocompanions-in-arms。Mr。SpeakerDobybeatthestonewithhisgavel，whileMr。Crewecontinuedtoleanbackcalmlyuntilthenoisewasover。
“Gentlemen，“hewenton，“Iwillenteratthepropertimeintoasituation——known，Ibelieve，tomostofyou——thatbringsaboutaconditionofaffairsbywhichthegentleman\'scommittee，orthegentlemanhimself，withhiscapaciouspockets，doesnothavetoaccounttotheHouseforeverybillassignedtohimbytheSpeaker。Ihavetakenthetroubletoexaminealittleintothegentleman\'spastrecord——hehasbeenchairmanofsuchcommitteesforyearspast，andIfindnotracethatbillsinimicaltocertaingreatinterestshaveeverbeenreportedbackbyhim。ThePingsquitbillinvolvesthevitalprincipleofcompetition。I
havereaditwithconsiderablecareandbelieveittobe，initself，agoodmeasure，whichdeservesafairhearing。Ihavehadnoconversationwhateverwiththosewhoaresaidtobeitspromoters。Ifthebillistopass，ithaslittleenoughtimetogettotheSenate。BythegentlemanfromPutnam\'sownstatementhiscommitteehavegivenititsshareofattention，andIbelievethisHouseisentitledtoknowtheverdict，isentitledtoacceptorrejectareport。Ihopethemotionwillprevail。“
Hesatdownamidstastormofapplausewhichwouldhaveturnedtheheadofalesserman。NosuchpersonalovationhadbeenseenintheHouseforyears。HowtheSpeakergotorder；howtheHonourableBrushBascomdeclaredthatMr。Crewewouldbecalledupontoprovehisstatements；howMr。Botcherregrettedthatanewmemberofsuchpromiseshouldgooffathalf-cock；howMr。Ridouthintedthatthenewmembermightthinkhehadananimus；howMr。TerryofLeeandMr。WidgeonofHulldenounced，inplainhilllanguage，theNortheasternRailroadsandlaudedthemanofprominencewhohadthegrittoopposethem，neednotbegoneinto。Mr。
Creweatlengthdemandedthepreviousquestion，whichwascarried，andthemotionwascarried，too，twohundredandfiftytoonehundredandfifty-two。TheHouseadjourned。
Wewillsparetheblushesoftheheroofthisoccasion，whowasthreatenedwithsuffocationbyaninundationfromthebackseats。Inanswertothecongratulationsandqueries，herepliedmodestlythatnobodyelseseemedtohavehadthesandtodoit，sohedidithimself。
Heregardeditasamatterofduty，howeverunpleasantandunforeseen；
andif，astheysaid，hehadbeenapioneer，educationandaknowledgeofrailroadsandtheworldhadhelpedhim。Whereupon，addingtactfullythathedesiredtheeveningtohimselftoprepareforthebattleofthemorrowofwhichheforesawhewastobeartheburden，heextricatedhimselffromhisadmirersandmadehiswayunostentatiouslyoutofasidedoorintohissleigh。Forthemanwhohadkindledafire——theblazeofwhichwastomarkanepoch——hewasexceptionallycalm。NotsotheonlyvisitorwhomWatershadinstructionstoadmitthatevening。
“Say，youhititjustright，“criedthevisitor，tooexultanttotakeoffhisovercoat。“I\'vebeendownthroughthePelican，andthereain\'tbeensuchexcitementsinceSnowandGiddingshadthefightforUnitedStatessenatorinthe\'80\'s。Theplaceisalltornup，andyoucan\'tgetaroomthereforloveormoney。Theytellmethey\'vebeenhavin\'conferencessteadyinNumberSevensincethesessionclosed，andHilaryVane\'ssentforalltheFederalandStateoffice-holderstobehereinthemorningandlobby。BotcherandJaneandBascomarecirculatin\'likehotwater，tellin\'everybodythatbecausetheywouldn\'tsaddletheStatewithadebtwithyourbillsyouturnedsouron\'em，andthatyou\'remoreofacorporationandrailroadmanthananyof\'em。They\'vegottheirmachinetoworkingathousandtotheminute，andeverybodytheyhaveaslantonisgoingintoline。Oneofthemfellers，aconductor，toldmehehadtogowith\'em。Butourboysain\'tidle，Icantellyouthat。Iwasinthebackofthegallerywhenyouspokeup，andIshook\'emofftheleashrightaway。“
Mr。Creweleanedbackfromthetableandthrusthishandsinhispocketsandsmiled。Hewasinoneofhisdelightfulmoods。
“Takeoffyourovercoat，Tooting，“hesaid；“you\'llfindoneofmybestpoliticalcigarsoverthere，intheusualplace。“
“Well，Iguessedaboutright，didn\'tI？“inquiredMr。Tooting，bitingoffoneofthepoliticalcigars。“Igaveyouaprettystraighttip，didn\'tI，thatyoungTomGaylordwasgoin\'tohavesomebodymakethatmotionto-
day？Butsay，it\'sfunnyhecouldn\'tgetabetteronethanthatfellerHarper。Ifyouhadn\'tcomealong，they\'dhavesmashedhimtopulp。I\'llbetthemostsurprisedmanintheStateto-night，nexttoBrushBascom，isyoungTomGaylord。It\'sawonderheain\'tbeenupheretothankyou。“
“Maybehehasbeen，“repliedMr。Crewe。“ItoldWaterstokeepeverybodyoutto-nightbecauseIwanttoknowexactlywhatI\'mgoingtosayonthefloortomorrow。Idon\'twant\'emtogivemetrouble。Didyoubringsomeofthosepaperswithyou？“
Mr。Tootingfishedabundlefromhisovercoatpocket。Thepapersinquestion，ofwhichhehadagreatnumberstoredawayinRipton，representedtheforesight，onMr。Tooting\'spart，ofyears。Hewasayoungmanwithapraiseworthyambitiontogetonintheworld，andduringhisapprenticeshipintheofficeoftheHonourableHilaryVanemanylettersanddocumentshadpassedthroughhishands。Alessindustriouspersonwouldhaveneglectedtheopportunity。Mr。Tootingcopiedthem；
andsome，whichwouldhavegoneintothewaste-basket，helaidcarefullyaside，bearinginmindtheadageaboutlittlescrapsofpaper——ifthereisone。Atanyrate，henowhadamanuscriptcollectionwhichwasuniqueinitsway，whichwouldhavebeenworthmuchtoagreatmanymen，andwithcharacteristicgenerosityhewasplacingitatthedisposalofMr。
Crewe。
Mr。Crewe，inreadingthem，hadothersensations。HewarmedwithindignationasanAmericancitizenthatamanshouldsitinamahoganyofficeinNewYorkanddictatethegovernmentofafreeandsovereignState；andhefoundhimselfinthegripofarighteouswrathwhenherecalledwhatMr。Flinthadwrittentohim。“Asaneighbour，itwillgivemethegreatestpleasuretohelpyoutotheextentofmypower，buttheNortheasternRailroadscannotinterfereinlegislativeorpoliticalmatters。“Theeffronteryofitwasappalling！Where，hedemandedofMr。
Tooting，didthecommonpeoplecomein？AndthisextremelypertinentquestionMr。Tootingwasunabletoanswer。
Butthewheelsofjusticehadbeguntoturn。
Mr。TootinghadnotexaggeratedthetumultandaffrightatthePelicanHotel。TheprivatetelephoneinNumberSevenwasbusyallevening，whilemoreorlessprominentgentlemenwereusingcontinuallythepubliconesintheboxesinthereadingroomdownstairs。TheFeudalsystemwasshowingwhatitcoulddo，andthewordhadgoneouttoalltheholdersoffiefsthatthevassalsshouldbesummoned。TheDukeofPutnamhadsentoutageneralcalltotheoffice-holdersinthatcounty。Theirsnottoreasonwhy——butobey；andsomeofthem，lateaswasthehour，werealreadytravellingfreetowardsthecapital。EventhecongressionaldelegationinWashingtonhadreceivedtelegrams，andsentthemagaintoFederaloffice-holdersinvariouspartsoftheState。IfMr。Crewehadchosentolisten，hecouldhaveheardthetrampofarmedmen。Buthewasnotofthemetaltobedismayedbytheprospectofagreatconflict。HewasascoolasCromwell，andafterMr。Tootinghadlefthimtotakechargeoncemoreofhisownarmiesintheyield，thegenlemonfromLeithwenttobedandsleptsoundly。
Thedayofthebattledawneddarkly，withgreatflakesflying。Asearlyasseveno\'clockthelatercohortsbegantoarrive，andweresoonasthickasbeesinthePelican，circulatinginthelobby，conferringinvariousroomsofwhichtheyhadthenumberswithoccupantsinbedandout。Awonderfulorganization，thatFeudalSystem，whicheouldmobilizeanarmyovernight！Andeachunitofit，likethebee，workingunselfishlyforthegoodofthewhole；likethebee，flyingstraightfortheobjecttobeattained。EverymemberoftheHousefromPutnamCounty，forinstance，wasseenbyoneoftheseindefatigablecaptains，andifthememberhadamortgageoranambition，orawifeandfamilythatmadelifeaproblem，orasituationontherailroadorinsomeofthelargermanufacturingestablishments，lethimbeware！Ifhelivedinlodgingsinthetown，hestuckhisheadoutofthewindowtoperceiveacheeryneighbourfromthecountryonhisdoorstep。Thinkofasystemwhichcoulddothis，notforPutnamCountyalone，butforallthecountiesintheState！
TheHonourableHilaryVane，captain-generaloftheForces，hadhadbutfourhours\'sleep，andhisExcellency，theHonourableAsaGray，whenhearoseinthetwilightofthemorning，hadtostepcarefullytoavoidthecigarbuttsonthefloorwhich——likesomanyemptycartridgeshellswereunpleasantremindersthatarebellionofnomeanmagnitudehadarisenagainstthepowertowhichheowedallegiance，andbythefavourofwhichhewasattendedwithpompandcircumstancewhereverhechosetogo。
Longbeforeeleveno\'clockthepathstothestate-housewerethrongedwithpeople。Besidetheoffice-holdersandtheirfriendswhowereintown，thereweremanyresidentsofthecapitalcityinthehabitofgoingtohearthelivelierdebates。NotthatthepowersoftheEmpirehadpermitteddebatesonmostsubjects，buttherecouldbenoharminallowingthelowerHousetodiscussasfiercelyastheypleaseddogandsheeplawsandhedgehogbounties。Butnow！Theoldestresidentcouldn\'trememberacaseofhightreasonandrebellionagainsttheNortheasternsuchasthispromisedtobe，andthesensationtookonanaddedflavourfromthefactthatthearchrebelwasafigureofpicturesqueinterest，amillionairewithmoneyenoughtorenttheDuncanhouseandfillitslong-
disusedstablewithhorses，whowasacapitalisthimselfandafriendofMr。Flint\'s；ofwhomitwassaidthathewasgoingtomarryMr。Flint\'sdaughter！
Longbeforeeleven，too，thechiefsovertensandthechiefsoverhundredshadgatheredtheirmenandmarchedthemintothestate-house；
andMr。Tooting，whowaseverywherethatmorning，noticedthatsomeoftheseledsoldiershadpiecesofpaperintheirhands。Thechaplainarosetoprayforguidance，andtheHousewascrowdedtoitscapacity，andthegalleryfilledwitheagerandexpectantfaces——buttheheroofthehourhadnotyetarrived。Whenatlengthhedidwalkdowntheaisle，asunconcernedlyasthoughhewereanunknownmanenteringatheatre，femininewhispersof“Thereheis！“couldplainlybeheardabovethebuzz，andsimultaneousapplausebrokeoutinspots，causingtheSpeakertorapsharplywithhisgavel。PoorMr。SpeakerDoby！Helookedmorelikethemock-turtlethanever！andmighthaveexclaimed，too，thatoncehehadbeenarealturtle:onlyyesterday，infact，beforehehadmadetheinconceivableblunderofrecognizingMr。HumphreyCrewe。Mr。SpeakerDobyhadspentapartofthenightinroomNumberSevenlisteningtothingsabouthimself。HerminiustheunspeakablehasgiventheenemyafootholdinRome。
Apparentlyunawarethathewasthecentreofinterest，Mr。Crewe，carryinganeatlittlebagfullofpapers，tookhisseatbesidetheHonourableJacobBotcher，noddingtothaterstwhilefriendasamanoftheworldshould。AndMr。Botcher，nottobeoutdone，noddedback。
Weshallskipoverthepainfulintervalthatelapsedbeforethebillinquestionwasreached:painful，atleast，foreveryonebutMr。Crewe，whosatwithhiskneescrossedandhisarmsfolded。Thehostswerefacingeachother，awaitingtheword；therebelsprayerfullywatchingtheirgallantleader；andtheloyalvassals——whosewaveringrankshadbeenaddedtoovernight——withtheireyesonMr。Bascom。Andinjusticetothatveteranitmustbesaid，despitetheknock-outblowhehadreceived，thatheseemedasdebonairasever。
“NowwhilethethreeweretighteningTheharnessontheirbacks。“
Mr。SpeakerDobyreadmanycommitteereports，andatthebeginningofeachtherewasastirofexpectationthatitmightbethesignalforbattle。Butatlengthhefumbledamonghispapers，clearedawaythelumpinhisthroat，andglancedsignificantlyatMr。Bascom。
“TheCommitteeonIncorporations，towhomwasreferredHousebillnumber302，entitled“AnacttoincorporatethePingsquitRailroad，“havingconsideredthesame，reportthesamewiththefollowingresolution:
\'Resolved，thatitisinexpedienttolegislate。BrushBascom，fortheCommittee。\'Gentlemen，areyoureadyforthequestion？AsmanyasareofopinionthatthereportoftheCommitteeshouldbeadopted——thegentlemanfromPutnam，Mr。Bascom。“
Againletusdoexactjustice，andletusnotbeledbyourfeelingstogiveaprejudicedaccountofthisstruggle。TheHonourableBrushBascom，skilledfromyouthintheuseofweapons，openedthecombatsoadroitlythatmorethanoncethefollowersofhisnobleopponentwincedandtrembled。Thebill，Mr。Bascomsaid，wouldhavebeenreportedthatday，anyway——astatementreceivedwithmingledcheersandjeers。ThenfollowedabriefandsomewhatintimatehistoryoftheGaylordLumberCompany，notatallflatteringtothatcorporation。Mr。Bascomhinted，atananimus:therewasnomoreneedforarailroadinthePingsquitValleythantherewasforamerry-go-roundinthecellarofthestate-
house。Loudlaughterfromeverybody，someirreverentpersoncryingoutthatamerry-go-roundwasbetterthanpokertables。WhenMr。BascomcametodiscussthegentlemanfromLeith，andrecitedthenamesofthecommitteesforwhichMr。Crewe——inhisdesiretobeofservicetotheStatehadapplied，therewasmorelaughter，evenamongstMr。Crewe\'sfriends，andMr。SpeakerDobyrelaxedsofarastosmilesadly。Mr。
Bascomlaidhiswatchontheclerk\'sdeskandbegantoreadthelistofbillsMr。Crewehadintroduced，andasthisreadingproceededsomeofthelight-mindedshowedatendencytobecomeslightlyhysterical。Mr。Bascomsaidthathewouldliketoseeallthosebillsgrowintolaws，——withcertainslightchanges，——butthathecouldnotconscientiouslyvotetosaddlethepeoplewithanotherCivilWardebt。ItwaswellfortheState，hehinted，thatthosecommitteeswerecomposedofstanchmenwhowoulddotheirdutyinallweathers，regardlessofdemagogueswhosoughttogratifyinordinateambitions。
Thehopeoftherevolutionistsborethesestrokesandothersasmightywithcomplacency，asthoughtheyhadbeensomanyplayfultaps；andwhilethebattlesurgedhotlyaroundhimhesatcalmlylisteningormakingoccasionalnoteswithagoldpencil。Bornleaderthathewas，hewasbidinghistime。Mr。Bascom\'sattackwasmetvaliantly，butunskillfully，fromthebackseats。TheHonourableJacobBotcherarose，andfilledthehallwithextractsfromthe“BookofArguments“——inwhichhehadbeencoachedovernightbytheHonourableHilaryVane。Mr。
Botcher\'stonetowardshiserstwhilefriendwasregretful，——agoodmangonewrongthroughimpulseandinexperience。“Iam，sir，“saidMr。
BascomtotheSpeaker，“sincerelysorry——sincerelysorrythatanindividualofsuchabilityasthememberfromLeithshouldbeled，bytherepresentationsofpoliticaladventurersandbrigandsandmalcontents，intohispresentdeplorablepositionofcriticisingaStatewhichishisonlybyadoption，thepoliticalconditionsofwhichwereassoundandasfreefromcorporatedomination，sir，asthoseofanyStateinthebroadUnion。“Loudcheers。ThisappealtoStatepridebyMr。Botchesisamasterstroke，andthefriendsofthechampionofthelibertiesofthepeoplearebeginningsomeofthemtobealittlenervousanddoubtful。
FollowingMr。Botcheswerewildandscatteringspeechesfromthebackbenches——unskillfulandpitiablecounter-strokes。Wherewasthechampion？Hadhebeentamperedwithovernight，andpersuadedofthefutilityofrebellion？Persuadedthathisheadwouldbemoreusefulonhisownneckinthecouncilsofthenationthanonexhibitiontothepopulacefromthepointofapike？Itlooks，toacalmspectatorfromthegallery，asthoughtherebelforcesaregrowingweakerandmoredemoralizedeverymoment。Mr。Redbrook\'sspeech，vehementandhonest，helpsalittle；
peoplelistentoanhonestandforcefulman，howeverhemaylacktechnicalknowledge，butthemajorityoftherepliesaremereincoherentdenunciationsoftheNortheasternRailroads。
Ontheotherhand，theastoundingdisciplineamongstthelegionsoftheEmpireexcitestheadmirationanddespairevenoftheirenemies；thereisnorandomfightinghereandbreakingofrankstodouselesshacking。A
gravefarmerwithabearddeliversashortandtemperatespeechwhichhehasbyheart，mildlyinquiringwhattheStatewoulddowithouttheNortheasternRailroads；andtheverymoderationofthisquerycomingfromaplainandhard-headedagriculturistthebossofGrenville，ifonebutknewit！hasatellingeffect。Andthentocaptheclimax，tomaketheattitudeoftherebelsevenmoreridiculousinthemindsofthinkingpeople，Mr。Ridoutisgiventhefloor。Skilledindebatewhenhechoosestoenterit，hisknowledgeofthelawonlyexceededbyhisknowledgeofhowitistobeevaded——toLartiusisassignedthetaskoffollowinguptherout。AndMr。Crewehasceasedtakingnotes。
WhentheHouseleaderandattorneyfortheNortheasterntookhisseat，thevictorytoallappearanceswaswon。Itwasavictoryforconservatismandestablishedorderagainstsensationalismandanarchy——
Mr。Ridouthadcontrivedtomakethatclearwithoutactuallysayingso。
ItwasasiftheUteIndianshadsoughttocaptureWashingtonandconductthegovernment。Justasridiculousasthat！Thedebateseemedtobeexhausted，andthelong-sufferingMr。DobywasinquiringforthefiftiethtimeiftheHousewerereadyforthequestion，whenMr。CreweofLeitharoseandwasrecognized。Inthreemonthshehadacquiredsucharemarkableknowledgeofthegameofparliamentarytacticsastobeable，patiently，towaituntiltheboltofhisopponentshadbeenshot；andaglancesufficedtorevivethedroopingspiritsofhisfollowers，andtoassurethemthattheirleaderknewwhathewasabout。
“Mr。Speaker，“hesaid，“Ihavelistenedwithgreatcaretothemasterlydefenceofthatcorporationonwhichourmaterialprosperityandcivicwelfareisfoundedlaughter；Ihavelistenedtothegentleman\'slearneddiscussionofthefinancesofthatroad，tendingtoprovethatitisaneleemosynaryinstitutiononagrandscale。IdonotwishtoquestionundulytheintellectsofthosemembersofthisHousewhobytheirvoteswillprovethattheyhavebeenconvincedbythegentleman\'sargument。“
HereMr。Crewepausedanddrewaslipofpaperfromhispocketandsurveyedthebackseats。“ButIperceive，“hecontinued，“thatagreatinteresthasbeentakeninthisdebate——sogreataninterestthatsinceyesterdaynumbersofgentlemenhavecomeinfromvariouspartsoftheStatetolistentoitlaughterandastonishment，gentlemenwhoholdFederalandStateoffices。RenewedlaughterandsearchingoftheHouse。Irepeat，Mr。Speaker，thatIdonotwishtoquestiontheintellectsofmyfellow-members，butInoticethatmanyofthemwhoareseatedneartheFederalandStateoffice-holdersinquestionhaveintheirhandsslipsofpapersimilartothis。AndIhavereasontobelievethattheseslipswerewrittenbysomebodyinroomNumberSevenofthePelicanHotel。“Tremendouscommotion，andcraningtoseewhetherone\'sneighbourhasaslip。The，facesoftheredoubtablethreeastudy。
“Iprocuredoneoftheseslips，“Mr。Crewecontinued，“throughafellow-
memberwhohasnouseforit——whoseintelligence，infact，isunderratedbythegentlemeninNumberSeven。Iwillreadtheslip。
“\'Voteyesonthequestion。YesmeansthatthereportoftheCommitteewillbeaccepted，andthatthePingsquitbillwillnotpass。WaitforBascom\'ssignal，anddestroythispaper。“\'
Therewasnoneed，indeed，forMr。Crewetosayanymorethanthat——noneedfortheadmirablediscussionofrailroadfinancefromanexpert\'sstandpointwhichfollowedtocontrovertMr。Ridout\'smisleadingstatements。ThereadingofthewordsontheslipofpaperofwhichhehadsomysteriouslygotpossessionthroughMr。HamiltonTootingwassufficienttobringaboutadisorderthatforafullminute——Mr。SpeakerDobyfounditimpossibletoquell。Thegalleryshookwithlaughter，andhonourablememberswithslipsofpaperintheirhandsweremadeasconspicuousasiftheyhadbeencaughtwearingdunces\'caps。
Itwasthenonly，withbelatedwisdom，thatMr。Bascomandhistwonoblecompanionsgaveupthefight，andletthehordeacrossthebridge——toolate，asweshallsee。Thepopulace，ledbyaredoubtableleader，havelearnedtheirstrength。Itistruethattheshiningsenatorialtwentyofthebody-guardstandreadytobehackedtopiecesattheirpostsbeforethePingsquitbillshallbecomealaw；andshouldunutterabletreasontakeplacehere，hisExcellencyispreparedtobedrawnandquarteredratherthansignit。ItistheSenatewhich，inthissomewhatinaccuraterepetitionofhistory，holdthecitadelifnotthebridge；andinspiteofthehowlingmobbelowtheirwindows，scornfullyrefuseeventodiscussthePingsquitbill。TheHonourableHilaryVane，whosefacetheystudyatdinnertime，isnotworried。Popularwrathdoesnotcontinuetoboil，andmanychangeswilltakeplaceintheyearbeforetheLegislaturemeetsagain。
ThisistheHonourableHilary\'spublicface。ButaretherenotprivateconferencesinroomNumberSevenofwhichwecanknownothing——
exceedinglyuncomfortableconferencesforHoratiusandhiscompanions？
AretherenotprivatetelegramsandletterstothepresidentoftheNortheasterninNewYorkadvisinghimthatthePingsquitbillhaspassedtheHouse，andthatacertainMr。Creweisprimarilyresponsible？Andaretherenotqueries——whichhistorymaydiscloseinafteryears——astowhetherMr。Crewe\'sabilitiesasastatesmanhavenotbeenseriouslyunderratedbythosewhoshouldhavebeenthefirsttoperceivethem？
Verily，pridegoethbeforeafall。
Inthismodernversionofours，thefathersthrongaboutanotherthanHoratiusafterthesessionofthatmemorablemorning。Publiclyandprivately，Mr。Creweisbeingcongratulated，andweknowenoughofhischaractertoappreciatethemodestywithwhichthecongratulationsareaccepted。HeisthesameHumphreyCrewethathewasbeforehebecamethecorner-stoneofthetemple；successisamereoutwardandvisiblesignofintrinsicworthintheinnerman，andMr。Crewehadneverforamomentunderestimatedhistruevalue。
“There\'s，nousewastingtimeintalkingaboutit，“hetoldthegratefulmemberswhosoughttopresshishands。“Gohomeandorganize。I\'vegotyourname。Getyourneighboursintoline，andkeepmeinformed。I\'llpayforthepostage-stamps。I\'mnoimpracticalreformer，andifwe\'regoingtodothisthing，we\'llhavetodoitright。“
Theylefthim，impressedbytheforceofthisargument，withanaddedrespectforMr。Crewe，andavaguefeelingthattheywerepledgedtosomethingwhichmadenotafewofthematrifleuneasy。Mr。Redbrookwasoneofthese。
Thefelicitationsofhisnew-foundfriendandconvert，Mr。Tooting，Mr。
Crewecutshortwiththetersenessofaborncommander。
“Nevermindthat，“hesaid，“andfollow\'emupandget\'empledgedifyoucan。“
Get\'empledged！Pledgedtowhat？Mr。Tootingevidentlyknew，forhewastednopreciousmomentsinaskingquestions。
ThereisnotimeatthisplacetogointothefeelingsofMr。TomGaylordtheyoungerwhenhelearnedthathisbillhadpassedtheHouse。He，too，meetingMr。Creweinthesquare，tooktheopportunitytoexpresshisgratitudetothememberfromLeith。
“ComeinonFridayafternoon，Gaylord，“answeredMr。Crewe。“I\'vegotseveralthingstotalktoyouabout。YourgeneralacquaintancearoundtheStatewillbeuseful，andtheremustbemenyouknowofinthelumbersectionswhocanhelpusconsiderably。“
“Helpus？“repeatedyoungTom，insamesurprise。
“Certainly，“repliedMr。Crewe；“youdon\'tthinkwe\'regoingtodropthefighthere，doyou？We\'vegottoputastopinthisStatetopoliticaldominationbyarailroad，andaslongastheredoesn\'tseemtobeanyoneelsetotakehold，I\'mgoingto。Yourbill\'sagoodbill，andwe\'llpassitnextsession。“
YoungTomregardedMr。Crewewithafrankstare。
“I\'mgoinguptothePingsquitValleyonFriday，“heanswered。
“Thenyou\'dbettercomeuptoLeithtoseemeassoonasyougetback，“
saidMr。Crewe。“Thesethingscan\'twait，andhavetobedealtwithpractically。“
YoungTomhadnotbeenthevirtualheadoftheGaylordCompanyforsomeyearswithoutgainingalittleknowledgeofpoliticsandhumanity。TheinvitationtoLeithhevalued，ofcourse，buthefeltthatitwouldnotdotoacceptitwithtoomuchardour。Hewas，hesaid，averybusyman。
“That\'sthetroublewithmostpeople，“declaredMr。Crewe；“theywon\'ttakethetimetobotheraboutpolitics，andthentheycomplainwhenthingsdon\'tgoright。NowI\'mgivin\'mytimetoit，whenI\'vegototherlargeintereststoattendto。“
OnhiswaybacktothePelican，youngTomhaltedseveraltimesreflectively，ascertainpointsinthisconversationwhichheseemedtohavemissedatthetime——camebacktohim。HisgratitudetoMr。Creweasapublicbenefactorwasprofound，ofcourse；butyoungTom\'ssenseofhumourwaspeculiar，andhelaughedmorethanonce，outloud，atnothingatall。Thenhebecamegraveagain，andwentintothehotelandwrotealongletter，whichheaddressedtoMr。AustenVane。
Andnow，beforethischapterwhichcontainsthesememorableeventsisclosed，onemorestrangeandsignificantfactistobechronicled。OntheeveningofthedaywhichsawMr。Crewetriumphantlyleadingtheinsurgentforcestovictory，thatgentlemansenthisprivatesecretarytotheofficeoftheStateTribunetoleaveanorderforfiftycopiesofthepapertobedeliveredinthemorning。Morningcame，andthefiftycopies，andMr。Crewe\'spersonalcopyinaddition，werehandedtohimbythefaithfulWaterswhenheenteredhisdiningroomatanearlyhour。
Lifeisfullofdisillusions。CouldthisbetheStateTribuneheheldinhishand？TheStateTribuneofMr。PeterPardriff，whohadstoodsostanchlyforMr。Creweandbetterthings？WhohadhithertoheldthewordsoftheLeithstatesmaninsuchgoldenestimateastocurtailadvertisingcolumnswhenitwasnecessarytoprintthemforthepublicgood？
Mr。Crewe\'seyetravelledfromcolumntocolumn，frompagetopage，invain。BysomeincredibleoversightonthepartofMr。Pardriff，theringingwordswerenotthere，——nay，thesoul-stirringeventsofthateventfuldayappeared，oncloserinspection，tohavebeendeliberatelyeditedout！TheterribleindignationoftherighteousaroseasMr。CrewereadinthelegislativeproceedingsofthedaybeforethatthePingsquitbillhadbeendiscussedbycertainmembers——ofwhomhewasone——
andpassed。Thiswasall——literallyall！IfMr。Pardriffhadlivedintheeighteenthcentury，hewouldprobablyhavereferredascasuallytotheBostonmassacreasastreetfight——whichitwas。
Profoundlydisgustedwithhumankind，——asthenoblestofuswillbeattimes，——Mr。Creweflungdownthepaper，andactuallyforgottosendthefiftycopiestohisfriends！
CHAPTERXV
THEDISTURBANCEOFJUNESEVENTH
AfterMr。SpeakerDobyhadgothisgoldwatchfromanadmiringandapparentlyreunitedHouse，andhadweptoverit，theLegislatureadjourned。ThiswasaboutthefirstofApril，thatsloppiestandwindiestofmonthsinanorthernclimate，andMr。Crewehadintended，asusual，tomakealittletripsouthwardtoaclubofwhichhewasamember。Asenseofduty，instead，tookhimtoLeith，wherehesatthroughthedaysinhisstudy，dictatingletters，poringoveragreatmapoftheStatewhichhehadhungonthewall，andscanninglongprintedlists。Ifwecouldstandbehindhim，weshouldseethatthesearewhatareknownascheck-lists，orrostersofthevotersinvarioustowns。
Mr。Crewealsohasanunusualnumberofvisitorsforthismuddyweather，whenthesnow-waterismakingbrooksoftheroads。Interestedobservers——
iftherewereany——mighthaveremarkedthathisfriendshipwithMr。
HamiltonTootinghadincreased，thatgentlemancomingupfromRiptonatleasttwiceaweek，andaidingMr。Crewetomultiplyhisacquaintancesbybringingnumerousstrangerstoseehim。Mr。Tooting，asweknow，hadabandonedthelawofficeoftheHonourableHilaryVaneandwasnowengagedintravellingovertheState，apparentlyinsearchofhealth。
Theseweresigns，surely，whichthewisemighthavereadwithprofit:intheoffices，forinstance，oftheHonourableHilaryVaneinRiptonSquare，whereseismicdisturbanceswereregistered；butthemovementoftheneedletotheHonourableHilary\'seyewasalmostimperceptible。
Whatobserver，howeverexperienced，wouldhavebelievedthatsuchdelicatetracingscouldheraldavolcaniceruption？
ThroughoutthemonthofApriltheneedlekeptupitspersistentregistering，andtheHonourableHilarycontinuedtosmile。TheHonourableJacobBotcher，whohadmadeatriptoRiptonandhadcitedthatverydecidedearthquakeshockofthePingsquitbill，hadbeenridiculedforhispains，andhadgoneawayagaincomfortedbycommunionwithastrongman。TheHonourableJacobhadfeltlittleshocksinhisfief:Mr。Tootinghadvisitedit，sittingwithhisfeetonthetablesofhotelwaiting-rooms，holdingprivateintercoursewithgentlemenwhohadbeendisappointedinoffice。Mr。TootinghadlikewisebeenasojournerinthedomainoftheDukeofPutnam。ButtheHonourableBrushwasnottroubled，andhadpresentedMr。Tootingwithacigar。
InspiteofthestrangeomissionoftheStateTribunetoprinthisspeechandtogivehisvictoryinthematterofthePingsquitbillproperrecognition，Mr。Crewewastoobigamantostophissubscriptiontothepaper。Consciousthathehaddonehisdutyinthatmatter，neitherpraisenorblamecouldaffecthim；andalthoughhehadnotbeenmentionedsince，hereaditassiduouslyeveryafternoonuponitsarrivalatLeith，feelingconfidentthatMr。PeterPardriffwhohadalwaysinprivateconversationproclaimedhimselfemphaticallyforreformwouldnoteventuallyrefuse——toaprophet——publicrecognition。OneafternoontowardstheendofthatmonthofApril，whenthesunhadmadethelastsnow-driftintoapool，Mr。CrewesettledhimselfonhissouthporchandopenedtheStateTribune，andhisheartgaveaboundashiseyefelluponthefollowingheadingtotheleadingeditorial:——
AWORTHYPUBLICSERVANTFORGOVERNOR
Hadhisrewardcomeatlast？HadMr。PeterPardriffseentheerrorofhisway？Mr。Creweleisurelyfoldedbackthesheet，andcalledtohissecretary，whowasneverfardistant。
“Lookhere，“hesaid，“IguessPardriff\'srecoveredhissenses。Lookhere！“
Thetiredsecretary，readywithhispencilandnotebooktoorderfiftycopies，responded，staringoverhisemployer\'sshoulder。Ithasbeensaidofmeninbattlethattheyhavebeenshotandhaverunforwardsomehundredfeetwithoutknowingwhathashappenedtothem。AndsoMr。CrewegotfiveorsixlinesintothateditorialbeforeherealizedinfullthebasenessofMr。Pardriff\'streachery。
“Thesearetimes“soranMr。Pardriff\'scompositionwhenthesureandsteadyinghandofastrongmanisneededatthehelmofState。Amanofconservative，businesshabitsofmind；amanwhoweighsthevalueoftraditionsequallywiththejustdemandsofanewera；amanwithaknowledgeofpublicaffairsderivedfromlongexperience；“！！！，amanwhohasneversoughtoffice，buthashelditbythewillofthepeople，andwhohimselfisaproofthattheconductofStateinstitutionsinthepasthasbeenjustandequitable。OnewhohasservedwithdistinctionuponsuchboardsastheRailroadCommission，theBoardofEqualization，etc。，etc。“！！！“AstanchRepublican，onewhoputspartybefore——“herethenewspaperbegantoshakealittle，andMr。Crewecouldnotforthemomentseewhetherthenextwordwereplaceorprinciple。Heskippedafewlines。TheTribune，itappeared，hadascintillatingidea，whichsurelymusthaveoccurredtoothersintheState。“WhynottheHonourableAdamB。HuntofEdmundtonforthenextgovernor？“
TheHonourableAdamB。HuntofEdmundton！
Itisapleasuretorecord，atthiscrisis，thatMr。CrewefixeduponhissecretaryassteadyaneyeasthoughMr。Pardriff\'sbullethadmisseditsmark。
“Getme，“hesaidcoolly，“the\'StateEncyclopaediaofProminentMen。\'“
Justprinted。FogartyandCo。，Newcastle，publishers。
Thesecretaryfetchedit，openatthehandsomeandlifelikesteel-
engravingoftheHonourableAdam，withhisbroadforeheadandkindly，twinklingeyes，andthetuftofbeardonhischin；withhisamplestatesman\'scoatinnaturalcreases，andhiswhiteshirt-frontandlittleblacktie。Mr。Crewegazedatthisworkofartlongandearnestly。TheHonourableAdamB。Huntdidnotintheleasthavetheappearanceofaboltfromtheblue。AndthenMr。Crewereadhisbiography。
Twothingsheshrewdlynotedaboutthatbiography；itwasplaced，outofalphabeticalorder，fourthinthebook，anditwaslongerthananyotherwithoneexceptionthatofMr。Ridout，thecapitallawyer。Mr。Ridout\'splacewassecondinthisinvaluablevolume，hebeingprecededonlybyaharmlesspatriarch。ThesefactswerelaidbeforeMr。Tooting，whowasdirectedbytelephonetocometoLeithassoonasheshouldarriveinRiptonfromhislatestexcursion。Itwasnineo\'clockatnightwhenthatlong-sufferingandmud-bespatteredindividualputinanappearanceatthedoorofhisfriend\'sstudy。
“BecauseIdidn\'tgetontoit，“answeredMr。Tooting，inresponsetoareproachfornothavingregisteredawarning——forhewasMr。Crewe\'sseismograph。IknewoldAdamvasontheRailroads\'governor\'sbench，butIhadn\'tanynotionhe\'dbeenmoveduptothetopofthebattinglist。Itoldyouright。Ridoutwasgoingtobetheirnextgovernorifyouhadn\'tsingedhimwiththePingsquitbill。Thiswasdoneprettyslick，wasn\'tit？HilarygotbackfromNewYorkdaybeforeyesterday，andPardriffhastheeditorialto-day。Say，IalwaystoldyouPardriffwasn\'tareformer，didn\'tI？“
Mr。Crewelookedpained。
“IprefertobelievethebestofpeopleuntilIknowtheworst，“hesaid。
“IdidnotthinkMr。Pardriffcapableofingratitude。“
WhatMr。Crewemeantbythisremarkisenigmatical。
“Heain\'t，“repliedMr。Tooting，“he\'sgratefulforthatredtickethecarriesaroundwithhimwhenhetravels，andhe\'sgratefultotheHonourableAdamB。Huntforfavourstocome。PeterPardriff\'sagratefulcuss，all-right，allright。“
Mr。Crewetappedhisfingersonthedeskthoughtfully。
“Theneedofareformcampaignismoreapparentthanever，“heremarked。
Mr。Tootingputhistongueinhischeek；and，seeingadreamyexpressiononhisfriend\'sface，accidentallyhelpedhimselftoacigaroutofthewrongbox。
“It\'suptoamanwithasenseofdutyandmoneytomakeit，“Mr。Tootingagreed，takingalongpullattheHavana。
“Asforthemoney，“repliedMr。Crewe，“thegoodcitizensoftheStateshouldbewillingtocontributelargely。Ihavehadalistofmenofmeansprepared，whowillreceivenoticesatthepropertime。“
Mr。HamiltonTootingspreadouthisfeet，andappearedtobestudyingthemcarefully。
“It\'sfunnyyoushouldhavementionedcash，“hesaid，afteramoment\'ssilence，“andit\'stoughonyoutohavetobethepublic-spiritedmantoputitupatthestart。I\'vegotalittlememorandumhere，“headded，fumblingapologeticallyinhispocket；“itcertainlycostssomethingtomovetheboysaroundandkeep\'emindignant。“
Mr。Tootingputthepaperontheedgeofthedesk，andMr。Crewe，withoutlooking，reachedouthishandforit，thepainedexpressionreturningtohisface。
“Tooting，“hesaid，“you\'vegotaveryflippantwayofspeakingofseriousthings。Itstrikesmethattheseexpensesareoutofallproportiontothesimplicityofthetaskinvolved。Itstrikesme——ahemthatyoumightfind，insomequartersatleast，afreerresponsetoamovementfoundedonprinciple。“
“That\'sright，“declaredMr。Tooting，“I\'vethoughtsomyself。I\'vegotmad，andtold\'emsototheirfaces。Butyou\'vesaidyourself，Mr。
Crewe，thatwe\'vegottodealwiththisthingpractically。“
“Certainly，“Mr。Creweinterrupted。Helovedtheword。
“Andwe\'vegottogetworkers，haven\'twe？Anditcostsmoneytomove\'emround，don\'tit？Wehaven\'tgotabushelbasketofpasses。Lookhere，“andhepushedanotherpaperatMr。Crewe，“here\'stennewoneswho\'vemadeuptheirmindsthatyou\'rethefinestmanintheState。Thatmakestwenty。“
Mr。Crewetookthatpaperdeprecatingly，butneverthelessbeganafireofcross-questionsonMr。Tootingastothepersonality，habits，andoccupationsofthediscerningteninquestion，makingcertainlittlemarksofhisownagainsteachname。ThusitwillbeseenthatMr。Creweknewperfectlywhathewasabout——althoughnooneelsedidexceptMr。
Tooting，whomerelylookedmysteriouswhenquestionedonthestreetsofRiptonorNewcastleorKingston。Itwasgenerallysupposed，however，thatthegentlemanfromLeithwasgoingtorunfortheStateSenate，andwasattemptingtogetafollowinginothercounties，inordertopushthroughhismeasuresnexttime。HencethetinyfluctuationsofHilaryVane\'sseismographaninstrument，aswillbeshown，utterlyout-of-date。
Notsothemottotoujoursl\'audace。Geniusescontinueatlongintervalstobeborn，andtoliveuptothatmotto。
ThatseismographoftheHonourableHilary\'spersistedintracingonlyaslightlyraggedlinethroughoutthebeautifulmonthofMay，inwhichfavourableseasonthecampaignoftheHonourableAdamB。Hunttookrootandflourished——apparentlyfromtheseedplantedbytheStateTribune。
Theground，asusual，hadbeencarefullyprepared，andtrainedgardenersraked，andwatered，andweededthepatch。IthadbeendecreedandcountersignedthattheHonourableAdamB。Huntwastheflowerthatwastogrowthisyear。
TheremustbesomethingvitallywrongwithaninstrumentwhichfailedtoregisterthegreatearthquakeshockofJunetheseventh！
Nowthatwehavecometothepointwherethisshockistoberecordedonthesepages，webegintodoubtwhetherourownpenwillbeableadequatelytoregisterit，andwhetherthesheetislongenoughandbroadenoughuponwhichtoportraytherelativeimportanceofthedisturbancecreated。Thetroubleis，thatthereisnothingtomeasureitby。WhatothereventinthehistoryoftheStateproducedthevexationofspirit，theanger，thetears，theprofanity；thederision，thelaughteroffools，thecontempt；thehope，theglee，theprayers，theawe，thedumbamazementatthesuperbcourageofthisact？No，forajustcomparisonweshallhavetoreachbacktohistoryandfable:DavidandGoliath；
TheseusandtheMinotaur；or，betterstill，CadmusandtheDragon！ItwasCadmusifwerememberrightlywhowastednotimewhatever，butactuallyjumpeddownthedragon\'sthroatandcuthimupfromtheinside！
AnditwasCadmus，likewise，whoafterwardssowedthedragon\'steeth。
ThatwondrousclearandfreshsummermorningofJunetheseventhwillnotbeforgottenformanyyears。ThetreeswereintheirearlyleafinRiptonSquare，andthedarkpinepatchesonSawaneclookedfromAusten\'slittleofficelikecloudshadowsagainsttheshimmerofthetendergreen。Hesatathistable，whichwascoveredwithopenlaw-booksandpapers，buthiseyeswereonthedistantmountain，andeveryscent-ladenbreezewaftedinathisopenwindowseemedthebearerofatremulous，wistful，yetimperiousmessage——“Come！“ThroughoutthechangingseasonsSawaneccalledtohiminwordsoflove:sometimesherfacewashiddenbycloudandfogandyetheheardhervoice！Sometimesherperfumeasto-day——madehimdream；sometimes，whenthewesternheavenswerefloodedwiththegoldenlightoftheinfinite，sheveiledherselfinmagicpurple，whentogazeatherwasanexquisiteagony，andshebecameasoneforbiddentoman。Thoughhissoulcriedouttoheracrossthespaces，shewasnotforhim。Shewasnotforhim！
Withasighheturnedtohislaw-booksagain，andsatforawhilestaringsteadfastlyatasectionofthe\'ActofConsolidationoftheNortheasternRailroads\'whichhehadstumbledonthatmorning。Thesection，ifhereaditsmeaningaright，wasfraughtwiththegravestconsequencesfortheNortheasternRailroads；ifhereaditsmeaningaright，theNortheasternRailroadshadbeenviolatingitpersistentlyformanyyearsandwereliableforunknownsumsindamages。Thediscoveryofithaddazedhim，andtheconsequencesresultingfromasuccessfulsuitunderthesectionwouldbesogreatthathehadsearcheddiligently，thoughinvain，forsomemodificationofitsinceitsenactment。Whyhadnotsomeonediscovereditbefore？Thisqueryappearedtobeunanswerable，untilthesimple——thoughnonethelessremarkable——solutioncametohim，thatperhapsnodefiniteoccasionhadhithertoarisenforseekingit。
UndoubtedlytheRailroads\'attorneysmustknowofitsexistence——hisownfather，HilaryVane，havingbeeninstrumentalindrawinguptheAct。AndalongperiodhadelapsedunderwhichtheNortheasternRailroadshadbeenalawuntothemselves。
ThediscoverywasofgraveimporttoAusten。Amonthbefore，chieflythroughtheeffortsofhisfriend，Tom，whowasgraduallytakinghisfather\'splaceintheGaylordLumberCompany，Austenhadbeenappointedjuniorcounselforthatcorporation。TheHonourableGalushaHammerstillremainedtheseniorcounsel，butwasnowconfinedinhishouseatNewcastlebyanillnesswhichmadetheprobabilityofhisreturntoactivelifeextremelydoubtful；andTomhadrepeatedlydeclaredthatintheeventofhisnon-recoveryAustenshouldhaveMr。Hammer\'splace。AscounselfortheGaylordLumberCompany，itwasclearlyhisdutytocalltheattentionofyoungMr。Gaylordtothesection；andincaseMr。Hammerdidnotresumehislawpractice，itwouldfalluponAustenhimselftobringthesuit。HisopponentinthismatterwouldbehisownfatherTheconsequencesofthisculminatingconflictbetweenthem，thecomingofwhichhehadlongdreaded——althoughhehadnotforeseenitsspecificcause——weighedheavilyuponAusten。ItwasTomGaylordhimselfwhoabruptlyarousedhimfromhisreverybyburstinginatthedoor。
“Haveyouheardwhat\'sup？“hecried，flingingdownanewspaperbeforeAusten\'seyes。“HaveyouseentheGuardian？“
“What\'sthematternow，Tom？“
“Matter！“exclaimedTom；“readthat。Yourfriendandclient，theHonourableHumphreyCrewe，isoutforgovernor。“
“HumphreyCreweforgovernor！“
“Onananti-railroadplatform。ImighthaveknownsomethingofthekindwasupwhenhebegantoassociatewithTooting，andfromthewayhespoketomeinMarch。Butwho\'dhavethoughthe\'dhavethecheektocomeoutforgovernor？Didyoueverhearofsuchtommyrot？“
Austenlookedgrave。
“I\'mnotsureit\'ssuchtommyrot，“hesaid。
“Nottommyrot？“Tomejaculated。“Everybody\'slaughing。WhenIpassedtheHonourableHilary\'sdoorjustnow，BrushBascomandsomeoftheoldlinerswerethere，recitingpartsoftheproclamation，andtheboysdownintheRiptonHousearehavingthetimeoftheirlives。“
AustentooktheGuardian，andthere，sureenough，fillingaleadingcolumn，andinalittlecoarsertypethantherestofthepage，heread:
DOWNWITHRAILROADRULE！
TheHonourableHumphreyCreweofLeith，attherequestoftwentyprominentcitizens，consentstobecomeacandidatefortheRepublicanNominationforGovernor。
Ringingletterofacceptance，inwhichhedenouncesthepoliticalpoweroftheNortheasternRailroads，anddeclaresthattheStateisgovernedfromagildedsuiteofofficesinNewPork。
“Thefollowingletter，evincingasitdoesapublicopinionthoroughlyarousedinallpartsoftheStateagainstthepresentdisgracefulpoliticalconditions，speaksforitself。ThestandingandcharacterofitssignersgiveitastatuswhichRepublicanvoterscannotignore。“
Theletterfollowed。ItprayedMr。Crewe，inthenameofdecencyandgoodgovernment，tocarrythestandardofhonestmentovictory。ToolonghadaproudandsovereignStatewrithedundertheheelofanall-
devouringcorporation！ToolonghadtheNortheasternRailroadselected，fortheirownselfishends，governorsandlegislaturesandcontrolledrailroadcommissionsThespiritof1776wasabroadintheland。ItwaseminentlyfittingthattheHonourableHumphreyCreweofLeith，whohaddaredtoflingdownthegauntletinthefaceofanarrogantpower，shouldbetheleaderoftheplainpeople，torecovertherightswhichhadbeenwrestedfromthem。Hadhenotgiventhehighestproofthathehadthepeople\'sinterestsatheart？Hewasclearlyamanwho“didthings。“
AtthispointAustenlookedupandsmiled。
“Tom，“heasked，“hasitstruckyouthatthisiswritteninthesameinimitablestyleasapartofthemessageoftheHonourableAsaGray？“
Tomslappedhisknee。
“That\'sexactlywhatIsaidI！“hecried。“Tootingwroteit。I\'llsweartoit。“
“Andthetwentyprominentcitizens——doyouknowanyof\'em，Tom？“
“Well，“saidTom，indelightedappreciation，“I\'veheardofthreeof\'em，andthat\'smorethananymanI\'vemetcanboastof。EdDuboiscutsmyhairwhenIgotoKingston。Hecertainlyisaprominentcitizeninthefourthward。JimKendallrunstheweeklynewspaperinGrantley——I
understooditwasforsale。BillClementsisprominentenoughupatGroveton。Hewantedatrolleyfranchisesomeyearsago，youremember。“
“Anddidn\'tgetit。“
Mr。Crewe\'sanswerwascharacteristicallyterseandbusinesslike。Theoverwhelmingcomplimentofarequestfromsuchgentlemenmustbetreatedinthenatureofacommand——andyethehadhesitatedforseveralweeks，duringwhichperiodhehadcastaboutforanothermoreworthyofthehonour。ThenfollowedasomewhattechnicalandtothelaymindobscurerecapitulationoftheiniquitiestheNortheasternwascommitting，whichprovedbeyondperadventurethatMr。Creweknewwhathewastalkingabout；
suchphrasesas““rollingstock，““milkingtheroad“——animposingarrayoffactsandfigures。Mr。Crewemadeitplainthathewasamanwho“didthings。“AndifitwerethewillofHeaventhathebecamegovernor，certainmaterialbenefitswouldasinevitablyensueasthedayfollowsthenight。Thelistofthematerialbenefits，forwhichtherewasacryingneed，boreastrongresemblancetoasummaryoftheworthymeasuresuponwhichMr。CrewehadspentsomuchtimeandlabourinthelastLegislature。
Austenlaiddownthepaper，leanedbackinhischair，andthrusthishandsinhispockets，andwithalittleverticalpuckerinhisforehead，regardedhisfriend。
“Whatdoyouthinkofthat？“Tomdemanded。“Now，whatdoyouthinkofit？“
“Ithink，“saidAusten，“thathe\'llscarethelifeoutoftheNortheasternbeforehegetsthroughwiththem。“
“What！“exclaimedTom，incredulously。HehadalwaysbeenwillingtoacceptAusten\'sjudgmentonmenandaffairs，butthiswasprettystiff。
“Whatmakesyouthinkso？“
“Well，peopledon\'tknowMr。Crewe，foronething。AndtheyarebeginningtohaveaglimmeroflightupontheRailroad。“
“Doyoumeantosayhehasachanceforthenomination？“
“Idon\'tknow。Itdependsuponhowmuchthevotersfindoutabouthimbeforetheconvention。“
Tomsatdownratherheavily。
“Youcouldhavebeengovernor，“hecomplainedreproachfully，“byraisingyourhand。You\'vegotmoreabilitythananymanintheState，andyousitheregazin\'atthatmountainandlettin\'adarnedfoolmillionairewalkinaheadofyou。“
AustenroseandcrossedovertoMr。Gaylord\'schair，and，hishandsstillinhispockets，lookeddownthoughtfullyintothatgentleman\'ssquareandruggedface。
“Tom，“hesaid，“there\'snousediscussingthisdelusionofyours，whichseemstobetheonlyflawinanotherwisesanecharacter。Wemusttrytokeepitfromtheworld。“
Tomlaughedinspiteofhimself。
“I\'mhangedifIunderstandyou，“hedeclared，“butIneverdid。YouthinkCreweandTootingmaycarryoffthegovernorship，andyoudon\'tseemtocare。“
“Idocare，“saidAusten，briefly。Hewenttothewindowandstoodforamomentwithhisbacktohisfriend，staringacrossatSawanec。Tomhadlearnedbylongexperiencetorespectthesemoods，althoughtheyweretohiminexplicable。AtlengthAustenturned。
“Tom，“hesaid，“canyoucomeinto-morrowaboutthistime？Ifyoucan\'t，I\'llgotoyourofficeifyouwillletmeknowwhenyou\'llbein。
There\'samatterofbusinessIwanttotalktoyouabout。“
Tompulledouthiswatch。
“I\'vegottocatchatrainforMercer，“hereplied，“butIwillcomeininthemorningandseeyou。“
AquarterofanhourlaterAustenwentdownthenarrowwoodenflightofstairsintothestreet，andasheemergedfromtheentryalmostbumpedintothefigureofayoungmanthatwashurryingby。Hereachedoutandgraspedtheyoungmanbythecollar，pullinghimupsoshortasalmosttochokehim。
“Hullygee！“criedtheyoungmanwhoseprogresshadbeensorudelyarrested。“Greatsnakes！“Acough。“What\'reyoutryin\'todo？Oh，“
apologetically“it\'syou，Aust。Letmego。Thisdayain\'tlongenoughforme。Letmego。“
AustenkepthisgripandregardedMr。Tootingthoughtfully。
“Iwanttospeaktoyou，Ham，“hesaid；“bettercomeupstairs。“
“Say，Aust，onthedead，Ihaven\'ttime。Pardriff\'swaitin\'forsomecopynow。“
“Justforaminute，Ham，“saidAusten；“Iwon\'tkeepyoulong。“
“Leggomycollar，then，ifyoudon\'twanttochokeme。Say，Idon\'tbelieveyouknowhowstrongyouare。“
“Ididn\'tknowyouworeacollaranymore，Ham，“saidAusten。
Mr。Tootinggrinnedinappreciationofthisjoke。
“Youmustthinkyou\'vegotoneofyourWildWestnecktiepartieson，“hegasped。“I\'llcome。Butifyouloveme，don\'tlettheboysinHilary\'sofficeseeme。“
“Theyusetheotherentry，“answeredAusten，indicatingthatMr。Tootingshouldgoupfirst——whichhedid。WhentheyreachedtheofficeAustenshutthedoor，andstoodwithhisbackagainstit，regardingMr。Tootingthoughtfully。
AtfirstMr。Tootingreturnedthelookwithinterestswagger——aggressionwouldbetooemphatic，anddefiancewouldnotdo。Hiswastheair，perhaps，ofTalleyrandwhenhesaid，“Thereseemstobeaninexplicablesomethinginmethatbringsbadlucktogovernmentsthatneglectme:“theairofamanwhohasmadeabrilliantcoupd\'etat。Alldayhehadwornthatair——sincefiveo\'clockinthemorning，whenhehadsprungfromhispallet。TheworldmightnowbeholdthestuffthatwasinHamiltonTooting。Powerflowedoutofhisrighthandfromaninexhaustiblereservoirwhichhehadhadthesagacitytotap，andmenleapedintoactionathistouch。He，theonce，neglected，hadthedestinyofaStateinhiskeeping。
Gradually，however，itbecameforsomestrangereasondifficulttomaintainthataggressivestareuponAustenVane，whoshookhisheadslowly。
“Ham，whydidyoudoit？“heasked。
“Why？“criedMr。Tooting，fiercelybitingbackatreasonablesmile。“Whynot？Ain\'thethebestmanintheStatetomakeawinner？Hasn\'thegotthemoney，andthebrains，andtheget-up-and-git？Why，it\'sasurething。I\'vebeenaroundtheState，andIknowthesentiment。We\'vegot\'emlicked，rightnow。Whathaveyougotagainstit？You\'reonourside，Aust。“
“Ham，“saidAusten，“areyousureyouhavethenamesandaddressesofthosetwentyprominentcitizensright，sothatanyvotermaygooutandfind\'em？“
“Whatareyoukiddingabout，Aust？“retortedMr。Tooting，bitingbackthesmileagain。“Say，younevergetdowntobusinesswithme。Youdon\'tblameCreweforcomin\'out，doyou？“
“Idon\'tseehowMr。Crewecouldhaveresistedsuchanoverwhelmingdemand，“saidAusten。“Hecouldn\'tshirksuchaduty。Hesayssohimself，doesn\'the？“
“Oh，goon！“exclaimedMr。Tooting，whowasnotabletorepressagrin。
“TheletterofthetwentymusthavebeenagreatsurprisetoMr。Crewe。
Hesayshewasastonished。DidthewholedelegationgouptoLeith，oronlyacommittee？“
Mr。Tooting\'sgrinhadbythistimespreadalloverhisface——afloodbeyondhiscontrol。
“Well，there\'snousepuffin\'itonwithyou，Aust。Thatwasdoneprettyslick，thattwenty-prominent-citizenbusiness，ifIdosayitmyself。
Butyoudon\'tknowthatfellerCrewe——he\'safull-sizecyclonewhenhegetsstarted，andnothin\'butarangeofmountainscouldstophim。“
“Itmustbefairlyexcitingto——ridehim，Ham。“
“Say，butitjustis。Kindofbreathless，though。Heain\'tverywellknownaroundtheState，andhewasboundtorun——andIjustcouldn\'tlethimcomeoutwithoutanyclotheson。“
“Iquiteappreciateyourdelicacy，Ham。“
Mr。Tooting\'sfacetookononcemoreasheepishlook，whichchangedalmostimmediatelytooneofdisquietude。
“Say，I\'llcomebackagainsomedayandkidwithyou。I\'vegottogo，Aust——that\'sstraight。Thisismybusyday。“
“Wouldn\'tyougainsometimeifyouleftbythewindow？“Austenasked。
AtthissuggestionMr。Tooting\'sexpressivecountenanceshowedgenuinealarm。
“Say，youain\'tgoingtoputupanyWildWesttricksonme，areyou？I
heardyounearlyflungTomGaylordoutoftheoneintheotherroom。“
“Ifthiswerealesscivilizedplace，Ham，I\'dinitiateyouintowhatisknownasthebulletdance。Asitis，Ihaveagreatmindtospeedyouonyourwaybyassistingyoudownstairs。“
Mr。HamiltonTootingbecameashypale。
“Ihaven\'tdoneanythingtoyou，Aust。Say——youdidn\'t——？“Hedidnotfinish。
TerrifiedbysomethinginAusten\'seye，whichmayormaynothavebeenthereatthetimeoftheBlodgettincident，Mr。Tootingfledwithoutcompletinghisinquiry。And，hisimaginationbeinggreat，hereproducedforhimselfsuchavividsensationofabullet-holeinhisspinethathemissedhisfootingnearthebottom，andmeasuredhislengthintheentry。
SucharethehumiliatingexperienceswhichsometimesbefalltheTalleyrands——butrarelycreepintotheirbiographies。
Austen，fromthetopofthestairway，sawthiscatastrophe，butdidnotsmile。Heturnedonhisheel，andmadehiswayslowlyaroundthecornerofthepassageintotheotherpartofthebuilding，andpausedattheopendoorwayoftheHonourableHilary\'souteroffice。BythestreetwindowssattheHonourableBrushBascom，sphinx-like，absorbingwisdomandcloudsofcigarsmokewhichemanatedfromtheHonourableNatBillings。
“Howdy，Austen？“saidBrush，genially，lookin\'fortheHonourableHilary？
FlintgotupfromNewYorkthismorning，andsentforhimacoupleofhoursago。He\'llbebackattwo。“
“Haveyoureadthepronunciamento？“inquiredMr。Billings。“Say，Austen，knowin\'yoursentiments，Iwonderyouweren\'toneofthetwentyprominentcitizens。“
“Allyouanti-railroadfellersoughttogettogether，“Mr。Bascomsuggested；“you\'vegotusterrifiedsinceyourfriendfromLeithturnedthelightofpublicityonusthismorning。IhearHamTooting\'sbeeninandmadeyouanoffer。“
NewstravelsfastinRipton。
“Austenkickedhimdownstairs，“saidJimmyTowle，theofficeboy，whohadmadeabreathlessentranceduringtheconversation，andfeltittobethepsychologicalmomenttogiveventtothenewswithwhichhewasbursting。
“Isthatstraight？“Mr。Billingsdemanded。Hewishedhehaddoneithimself。“Isthatstraight？“herepeated，butAustenhadgone。
“Ofcourseit\'sstraight，“saidJimmyTowle，vigorously。Ashrewdobserverofhumannature，hehadlittlerespectforSenatorBillings。
“NedJohnsonsawhimpickhimselfupatthefootofAusten\'sstairway。“
TheHonourableBrush\'sagateeyescaughtthelight，andheaddressedMr。
Billingsinavoicewhich，bydintoflongtraining，onlycarriedafewfeet。
“There\'sthemantheNortheastern\'sgottolookoutfor，“hesaid。“TheHumphreyCrewesdon\'tcount。ButifAustenVaneevergetsstarted，there\'llbetrouble。OldmanFlint\'sgotsomesuchideaasthat，too。I
overheardhimgivin\'ittooldHilaryonce，upatFairview，andHilarysaidhecouldn\'tcontrolhim。Iguessnobodyelsecancontrolhim。I
wishI\'dseenhimkickHamdownstairs。“
“I\'dliketokickhimdownstairs，“saidMr。Billings，savagelybitingoffanothercigar。
“Iguessyouhadn\'tbettertryit，Nat，“saidMr。Bascom。
MeanwhileAustenhadreturnedtohisownoffice，andshutthedoor。Hisluncheonhourcameandwent，andstillhesatbytheopenwindowgazingoutacrosstheteemingplain，andupthegreenvalleywhencetheBluecamesingingfromthehighlands。InspirithefollowedthewatertoLeith，andbeyond，whereitswunginawidecirclearidhurriedbetweenwondroushillslikethoseinthebackgroundsoftheoldItalians:hillsofclose-croppedpastures，dottedwithshapelysentineloaksandmapleswhichcastsharp，roundedshadowsontheslopesatnoonday；withthinfantasticelmsonthegentlesky-lines，andforestsmassedhereandthere——silent，impenetrablehillsfromastory-bookofalandofmystery。
Therivercoursedbetweenthemonitsrockybed，flingingitsmyriadgemstothesun。ThiswastheValeoftheBlue，andshehadtoucheditwithmeaningforhim，andgone。
Hedrewfromhiscoatawornpocket-book，andfromthepocket-bookaletter。ItwasdatedinNewYorkinFebruary，andthoughheknewitbyhearthefoundastrangesolaceinthepainwhichitgavehimtorereadit。Hestaredatthemonogramonthepaper，whichseemedsoemblematicofher；forhehadoftenreflectedthatherthings——evensuchminuteinsigniaasthis——belongedtoher。Sheimpressedthemnotonlywithhertaste，butwithhercharacter。Theentwinedletters，Y。F。，ofthedesignwerenot，hethought，ofameaningless，frivolousdaintiness，butstoodforsomething。Thenhereadthenoteagain。Itwasonlyanote。
“MYDEARMR。VANE:Ihavecomebacktofindmymotherill，andIamtakinghertoFrance。Wearesailing，unexpectedly，to-morrow，therebeingadifficultyaboutapassagelater。IcannotrefrainfromsendingyoualinebeforeIgototellyouthatIdidyouaninjustice。YouwillnodoubtthinkitstrangethatIshouldwritetoyou，butIshallbetroubleduntilitisoffmymind。Iamashamedtohavebeensostupid。IthinkIknownowwhyyouwouldnotconsenttobeacandidate，andIrespectyouforit。
Sincerelyyourfriend，“VICTORIAFLINT。“