growing reputation, both in Parliament and in the constituencies.

Beatrice shut her eyes and listened to the deep, rich voice as it rose
from height to height and power to power, till the whole place seemed
full of it, and every contending sound was hushed.

Suddenly, after an invocation that would have been passionate had it
not been so restrained and strong, he stopped. She opened her eyes and
looked. Geoffrey was seated as before, with his hat on. He had been
speaking for an hour and a half, and yet, to her, it seemed but a few
minutes since he rose. Then broke out a volley of cheers, in the midst
of which a leader of the Opposition rose to reply, not in the very best
of tempers, for Geoffrey's speech had hit them hard.

He began, however, by complimenting the honourable member on his
speech, "as fine a speech as he had listened to for many years, though,
unfortunately, made from a mistaken standpoint and the wrong side of
the House." Then he twitted the Government with not having secured
the services of a man so infinitely abler than the majority of their
"items," and excited a good deal of amusement by stating, with some
sarcastic humour, that, should it ever be his lot to occupy the front
Treasury bench, he should certainly make a certain proposal to the
honourable member. After this good-natured badinage, he drifted off into
the consideration of the question under discussion, and Beatrice paid no
further attention to him, but occupied herself in watching Geoffrey drop
back into the same apparent state of cold indifference, from which the
necessity of action had aroused him.

Presently the gentleman who had found her the seat came up and spoke to
her, asking her how she was getting on. Very soon he began to speak of
Geoffrey's speech, saying that it was one of the most brilliant of the
session, if not the most brilliant.

"Then Mr. Bingham is a rising man, I suppose?" Beatrice said.

"Rising? I should think so," he answered. "They will get him into
the Government on the first opportunity after this; he's too good to
neglect. Very few men can come to the fore like Mr. Bingham. We call him
the comet, and if only he does not make a mess of his chances by
doing something foolish, there is no reason why he should not be
Attorney-General in a few years."

"Why should he do anything foolish?" she asked.

"Oh, for no reason on earth, that I know of; only, as I daresay you have
noticed, men of this sort are very