tant question, and I am very glad it
has been asked." (Oh, Adrian, my _boy_!) "And when I am faced with such
a question, I always ask myself, 'What, under the circumstances, would
be the course of action of--our great leader?'"

The device succeeded, and the theatre resounded with frenzied cheers. I
turned to Robin. He was not there.

I swung round in Kitty's direction. She had left her chair, and was
hurriedly making her way through the group of important nobodies behind
me in the direction of the wings. Robin was there already, in earnest
conversation with a girl.

It was Dolly.

Phillis?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

"TO DIE--WILL BE AN _AWFULLY_ BIG ADVENTURE!"

--_Peter Pan_.

Two minutes later we were driving back to the Cathedral Arms. It was
snowing heavily, but I never noticed the fact. Neither did I realise
that I had abandoned my post at a critical and dangerous moment, and
left my friends on the platform to explain to a puzzled and angry
audience why the Candidate had run away without answering their
questions. But there are deeper things than politics.

Phillis, we learned from Dolly, had been attacked by violent pains early
in the evening; and about nine o'clock there had been a sudden rise of
temperature, with slight delirium, followed by a complete and alarming
collapse. Dr Farquharson had been sent for, hot-foot, from Stridge's
platform, and his first proceeding had been to summon me from mine.

He was waiting for us in the hall of the hotel when we arrived, and
Kitty and I took him into our sitting-room and, parent-like, begged to
be told "the worst."

The doctor--a dour and deliberate Scot--declined to be positive, but
"doubted" it might be perityphlitis. "Appendicitis is a more fashionable
term," he added. The child had rallied, but was very ill, and nothing
more could be done at present except keep her warm and afford relief by
means of poultices and fomentations until the malady should take a
definite turn for the better or the worse.

"In either case we shall know what to do then," he said; "but for the
present the bairn must just fight her own battle. Has she good health,
as a rule?"

Yes, thank God! she had. Physically she was frail enough, but she
possessed a tough little constitution. After I had taken a peep into the
room where the poor child, a vision of tumbled hair and wide bright
eyes, lay moaning and tossing, I left Kitty and Dolly and the doctor to
do what they could for