* * * *

An imperious knocking on her thin outer door roused her. She went to
open it and saw Anthony Craven,--the perspiration standing on his brow,
his delicate cripple's face white and fierce.

"I want to talk to you," he said without preface. "Have you seen the
afternoon papers?"

"No," she said in astonishment, "I was just going to send for them. What
is wrong?"

He followed her into the sitting-room without speaking; and then he
unfolded the _Pall Mall_ he had in his hand and pointed to a large-print
paragraph on the central page with a shaking hand.

Marcella read:

"EXCITING SCENES IN THE HOUSE.--MEETING OF THE LABOUR MEMBERS.--A
committee of the Labour representatives in Parliament met this afternoon
at 2 o'clock for the purpose of electing a chairman, and appointing
whips to the party, thus constituting a separate parliamentary group.
Much interest was felt in the proceedings, which it was universally
supposed would lead to the appointment of Mr. H. S. Wharton, the member
for West Brookshire, as chairman and leader of the Labour party. The
excitement of the meeting and in the House may be imagined when--after a
short but very cordial and effective speech from Mr. Bennett, the member
for North Whinwick, in support of Mr. Wharton's candidature--Mr.
Wilkins, the miner's member for Derlingham, rose and made a series of
astounding charges against the personal honour of the member for West
Brookshire. Put briefly, they amount to this: that during the recent
strike at Damesley the support of the _Clarion_ newspaper, of which Mr.
Wharton is owner and practically editor, was _bought_ by the employers
in return for certain shares in the new Syndicate; that the money for
these shares--which is put as high as 20,000 _l._--had already gone into
Mr. Wharton's private pocket; and that the change of policy on the part
of the _Clarion_, which led to the collapse of the strike, was thus
entirely due to what the Labour members can only regard under the
circumstances as a bribe of a most disgraceful kind. The effect produced
has been enormous. The debate is still proceeding, and reporters have
been excluded. But I hope to send a fuller account later."

Marcella dropped the paper from her hand.

"What does it mean?" she said to her companion.

"Precisely what it says," replied Anthony, with a nervous impatience he
could not repress. "Now," he added, as his lameness forced him to sit
down, "will you kin