d been farther
away--fought at long-range, while that of the State was brought right
to one's back door.

The Federal campaign had been freer from the provincial bickering
which was a prominent feature of the State election, and made it more
a hand-to-hand contest, where every elector was worthy of
consideration; and though women were debarred from entering the State
Parliament, yet they were now beings worth fawning upon for a vote,
and their addition to the ranks of the electors gave matters a decided
fillip.

The first intimation that the campaign had actually started reached me
one afternoon when Dawn drove me into town to see a dentist. The whole
Clay household had risen up against me patronising a local dentist.

"They're only blacksmiths," said Andrew. "I could tinker up a tooth as
good as they can with a bit of sealing-wax."

However, I could get no doctor to give me a longer lease of life than
twelve months, and as it was not a very important tooth, I considered
the local practitioners were sufficient to the evil.

The afternoon before, when Ernest had dropped in to see _me_, I had
_casually_ mentioned that Dawn and I were going up town next day, so
therefore, what more natural than, as we entered the main street, to
see him very busily inspecting wares in a saddler's shop--articles for
which he could have no use, and which if he had, a man of his means
could obtain of superior quality from Sydney. I diplomatically, and
Dawn ostentatiously, failed to notice him as we drove past to where
was displayed the legend--S. Messre, Chemist and Dentist, late C. C.
Rock-Snake, and where Dawn halted, saying, at the eleventh hour, "You
ought to go to Sydney, Charlie Rock-Snake was all right, but I don't
care for the look of this fellow."

Going to Sydney, however, would not serve my ends nearly so well as
consulting S. Messre; for while I was with him Dawn would remain
outside, and what more certain than that Mr R. Ernest Breslaw, walking
up the street and quite unexpectedly espying her, and being such a
friend of mine, should dawdle with her awaiting my reappearance, while
growing inwardly wishful that it might be long delayed.

I knocked on the counter of the dusty, dirty shop, and after a time
an extraordinary person appeared behind it.

"Are you Mr Messre?"

"I believe so. Hold hard a bit."

Probably he went to ascertain who he really was, for I was left
sitting alone until a splendidly muscular figure in a