ifton Holt claimed much of her
attention, smiling and whispering now and then in a way that made his
sister uncomfortable, she scarcely knew why, for the young lady herself
did not seem to resent it.

Betsey had not lost much, it was several times intimated to her during
her progress up the hill. "The speakers from a distance" had all failed
to appear except two. The forte of one of these seemed to be
statistics. He astonished his audience if he did not edify them,
putting into round numbers every fact connected with the temperance
cause that could possibly be expressed by figures--the quantity of
spirits consumed in Canada, the money paid for it, the quantity of grain
employed in its manufacture, the loss in flour and meal to the country,
the money received for licences, the number of crimes caused by its use,
and the cost of these to the country. The other "went in" for "wit and
humour," and there was much clapping of hands and laughter from such of
the audience as had not heard his funny stories before, and his was
generally pronounced a first-rate speech.

Squire Holt was in "the chair," but the duty of introducing the speakers
was performed by Mr Maxwell, for the squire was feeble, and not equal
to all that devolved upon him. Indeed, he dropped asleep, poor old
gentleman, while the statistics were being given, and lost the point of
the stories and got very tired, as Elizabeth could see. But Mr Maxwell
did his part well, and just as Betsey settled herself to hear, he
introduced Mr Langden, a friend of the cause from the States.

Mr Langden gave them some statistics also, and expressed himself
delighted with the gathering, and the evidence of interest in the good
cause. He was delighted, too, with their little town and the
water-power, and with their country generally, which was a finer country
than he had imagined it to be, and not so far behind his own section.
He said a great many agreeable things, and though it did not, in the
opinion of the critical part of the audience, amount to much as a
temperance address, it was such a speech as it was pleasant to hear.

Then Mr Burnet came forward and charmed the audience with his grand
flowing periods. But though his words were splendid, they were few; for
Mr Burnet did not care to waste his words on a weary and hungry people.
And then came the speech of the day.

Just as Mr Maxwell was considering whether he should give the people a
ten minutes' address, as