es around her eyes.

"And sometime," said Mr. Crewe, when all this has blown over a little, I
shall have a talk with your father. He undoubtedly understands that there
is scarcely any question of my election. He probably realizes, too, that
he has been in the--wrong, and that railroad domination must cease--he
has already made several concessions, as you know. I wish you would tell
him from me that when I am governor, I shall make it a point to discuss
the whole matter with him, and that he will find in me no foe of
corporations. Justice is what I stand for. Temperamentally, I am too
conservative, I am too much of a business man, to tamper with vested
interests."

"I will tell him, Humphrey," said Victoria.

Mr. Crewe coughed, and looked at his watch once, more. "And now, having
made that clear," he said, "and having only a quarter of an hour before I
have to leave to keep an appointment, I am going to take up another
subject. And I ask you to believe it is not done lightly, or without due
consideration, but as the result of some years of thought."

Victoria turned to him seriously--and yet the creases were still around
her eyes.

"I can well believe it, Humphrey," she answered. "But--have you time?"

"Yes," he said, "I have learned the value of minutes."

"But not of hours, perhaps," she replied.

"That," said Mr. Crewe, indulgently, "is a woman's point of view. A man
cannot dally through life, and your kind of woman has no use for a man
who dallies. First, I will give you my idea of a woman."

"I am all attention," said Victoria.

"Well," said Mr. Crewe, putting the tops of his fingers together, "she
should excel as a housewife. I haven't any use for your so-called
intellectual woman. Of course, what I mean by a housewife is something a
little less bourgeoise; she should be able to conduct an establishment
with the neatness and despatch and economy of a well-run hotel. She
should be able to seat a table instantly and accurately, giving to the
prominent guests the prestige they deserve. Nor have I any sympathy with
the notion that makes a married woman a law unto herself. She enters
voluntarily into an agreement whereby she puts herself under the control
of her husband: his interests, his career, his--"

"Comfort?" suggested Victoria.

"Yes, his comfort--all that comes first. And his establishment is
conducted primarily, and his guests selected, in the interests of his
fortunes. Of course, that goes witho