pledge; when that man
Brassfield, who was preparing to carry out a policy of selfish
spoliation, could have carried every precinct!"

"It does me so much good," she said, "to see you in such a glow of
indignation, that I allowed you to go on with that unjust condemnation
of my Eugene. Well, then, it seems my noble platform actually ruined
you. How nasty of the people! Can't we elope--run away--and never
come back, or look at a paper or think of it again? Or shall we use
Judge Blodgett's letter of withdrawal--bless him!"

Something--perhaps it was the elopement proposal--induced eventualities
which delayed the conversation again for some minutes.

"Let's go out," said she, "and ask him to--to do whatever they do with
letters of withdrawal--at once!"

The room into which Amidon led the shy Elizabeth had been a
clearing-house of confused ideas during their long tete-a-tete. Madame
le Claire had explained the mystery of dual personality as well as it
can be explained, with some comment on the fact that such things happen
to people occasionally, no one knows why. Alvord and Judge Blodgett
agreed that the candidate for mayor should be withdrawn. Alvord even
raised the question as to whether, the nomination papers being issued
to Brassfield, Amidon could be legally elected. Judge Blodgett said it
raised the finest legal question he ever had encountered, and if
carried up would be a case of first impression in the world's
jurisprudence. Alvord assented to this without argument.

Then Le Claire told them of Amidon's life in his old home as she had
learned of it, of his bewildered application to her in New York, and
how he had been helped. She was a long time telling it, and all the
while she was thinking of the tender things happening in the next room.
She heard the murmuring of their voices, as full of meaning as the
flutings of mating birds. And she faltered and stopped.

"Papa, papa!" she cried, "help me out! Tell them the rest."

"You vill vonder, berhaps," said the professor, "at sairtain
egsentricities of gonduct of our friendt, in his later Brassfield
phace, in vitch he has shown de kvality of sportiness--or sportif--vat
iss de vort?"

"Sportiness," said Miss Scarlett, "is the word."

"T'anks!" said the professor. "Vell, de egsblanation is dus: te
Brassfield state vas vun of gontinuous self-hypnotismus. It iss
apnormal. Its shief garacteristic is suchestibility. Now, if ve find
dat te supchect