Congressman Fairplay,
he had had appointed at Edmundton. The two racked their brains for three
hours; and Postmaster Burrows, who was the fortunate possessor of a pass,
offered to go down to Ripton in the interest of his liege lord and see
what was up. The Honourable Adam, however, decided that he could wait for
twenty-four hours.

The morning of the sixteenth dawned clear, as beautiful a summer's day
for a drive as any man could wish. But the spirit of the Honourable Adam
did not respond to the weather, and he had certain vague forebodings as
his horse jogged toward Hull, although these did not take such a definite
shape as to make him feel a premonitory pull of his coat-tails. The
ruined mill beside the rushing stream was a picturesque spot, and the
figure of the Honourable Hilary Vane, seated on the old millstone, in the
green and gold shadows of a beech, gave an interesting touch of life to
the landscape. The Honourable Adam drew up and eyed his friend and
associate of many years before addressing him.

"How are you, Hilary?"

"Hitch your horse," said Mr. Vane.

The Honourable Adam was some time in picking out a convenient tree. Then
he lighted a cigar, and approached Mr. Vane, and at length let himself
down, cautiously, on the millstone. Sitting on his porch had not improved
Mr. Hunt's figure.

"This is kind of mysterious, ain't it, Hilary?" he remarked, with a tug
at his goatee.

"I don't know but what it is," admitted Mr. Vane, who did not look as
though the coming episode were to give him unqualified joy.

"Fine weather," remarked the Honourable Adam, with a brave attempt at
geniality.

"The paper predicts rain to-morrow," said the Honourable Hilary.

"You don't smoke, do you?" asked the Honourable Adam.

"No," said the Honourable Hilary.

A silence, except for the music of the brook over the broken dam.

"Pretty place," said the Honourable Adam; "I kissed my wife here once
--before I was married."

This remark, although of interest, the Honourable Hilary evidently
thought did not require an answer:

"Adam," said Mr. Vane, presently, "how much money have you spent so far?"

"Well," said Mr. Hunt, "it has been sort of costly, but Brush and the
boys tell me the times are uncommon, and I guess they are. If that crazy
cuss Crewe hadn't broken loose, it would have been different. Not that
I'm uneasy about him, but all this talk of his and newspaper advertising
had to be counteracted some. Why, he h