fastnesses of the politicians with a determination not
to be denied and a bank account to be reckoned with. Austen talked to
many of the Leith farmers whom he had known from boyhood, thanks to
his custom of roaming the hills; they were for the most part honest men
whose occupation in life was the first thought, and they were content
to leave politics to Mr. Braden--that being his profession. To the most
intelligent of these Mr. Crewe's garden-party was merely the wanton
whim of a millionaire. It was an open secret to them that Job Braden for
reasons of his own had chosen Mr. Crewe to represent them, and they
were mildly amused at the efforts of Mrs. Pomfret and her assistants to
secure votes which were as certain as the sun's rising on the morrow.

It was some time before Austen came upon the object of his
search--though scarce admitting to himself that it had an object. In
greeting him, after inquiring about his railroad case, Mr. Crewe
had indicated with a wave of his hand the general direction of the
refreshments; but it was not until Austen had tried in all other
quarters that he made his way towards the porch where the lemonade and
cake and sandwiches were. It was, after all, the most popular
place, though to his mind the refreshments had little to do with its
popularity. From the outskirts of the crowd he perceived Victoria
presiding over the punchbowl that held the lemonade. He liked to think
of her as Victoria; the name had no familiarity for him, but seemed
rather to enhance the unattainable quality of her.

Surrounding Victoria were several clean-looking, freckled, and tanned
young men of undergraduate age wearing straw hats with coloured ribbons,
who showed every eagerness to obey and even anticipate the orders she
did not hesitate to give them. Her eye seemed continually on the alert
for those of Mr. Crewe's guests who were too bashful to come forward,
and discerning them she would send one of her lieutenants forward with
supplies. Sometimes she would go herself to the older people; and once,
perceiving a tired woman holding a baby (so many brought babies, being
unable to leave them), Victoria impulsively left her post and seized the
woman by the arm.

"Do come and sit down," she cried; "there's a chair beside me. And oh,
what a nice baby! Won't you let me hold him?"

"Why, yes, ma'am," said the woman, looking up at Victoria with grateful,
patient eyes, and then with awe at what seemed to her the priceles