o," I said.

"It wasn't anything of the slightest importance."

"Selby-Harrison drew it up, I expect."

"So she said. But it didn't matter in the least. If it had been anything
that tied us down I shouldn't have signed it."

"You would," I said. "Whatever it was you'd have signed it."

"She rather rushed me. She's a most remarkable young woman. However
that's all the better for us. If she's capable of rushing me,"
Titherington's chest swelled again as he spoke, "she'll simply make hay
of Vittie. It would be worth going to hear her heckling that beast on
votes for women. Believe me, he won't like it."

"She had you at a disadvantage," I said. "You hadn't breakfasted."

Titherington became suddenly thoughtful.

"I wish I knew more about ordinary law," he said. "I'm all right
on Corrupt Practices and that kind of thing, but I don't know the
phraseology outside of electioneering. Do you think a Jun. Soph. Ord.
can be any process in a libel action?"

"It might be. Why do you ask?"

"Well, the paper I signed was a sort of agreement to indemnify them in
case of proceedings for libel. I signed because I didn't think a girl
like that would be likely to say anything which Vittie would regard as a
libel. He's a thick-skinned hound."

"She once libelled twenty-three bishops, she and Hilda and
Selby-Harrison between them."

"After all," said Titherington, "you can say pretty near anything you
like at an election. Nobody minds. I think we're pretty safe. I'll see
that anything she says at our meetings is kept out of the papers, and
she won't get the chance of making regular speeches at Vittie's."

I felt quite sorry for Titherington. The interview with Lalage had
evidently been even more drastic than I expected.

"Perhaps," I said soothingly, "they'll give her six weeks for the Jun.
Soph. Ord., whatever it is, and then the whole election will be over
before she gets out."

"We can't allow that," said Titherington. "It would be a downright
scandal to subject a girl like that--why, she's quite young and--and
actually beautiful."

"We must hope that the Puffin may prove, as she expects, to be a
disguised lamb."

"I wish I knew who he is. I might get at him."

"It's too late to do anything now," I said, "but I'll try and find
out in the course of the morning. If I can't, we'll get it all in the
evening papers. They're sure to report a case of the sort pretty fully."

I left Titherington and walked across toward th