For he had risen, and was looking over the tea-tray.

"Oh! but I _must_," he said discontentedly. "I _must_ have enough sugar
in my tea!"

"I gave you more than the average," she said, with a sudden little leap
of laughter, as she came to his aid. "Do all your principles break down
like this? I was going to suggest that you might like some of that fire
taken away?" And she pointed to the pile of blazing logs which now
filled up the great chimney.

"That fire!" he said, shivering, and moving up to it. "Have you any idea
what sort of a wind you keep up here on these hills on a night like
this? And to think that in this weather, with a barometer that laughs in
your face when you try to move it, I have three meetings to-morrow
night!"

"When one loves the 'People,' with a large P," said Marcella, "one
mustn't mind winds."

He flashed a smile at her, answering to the sparkle of her look, then
applied himself to his tea and toasted bun again, with the dainty
deliberation of one enjoying every sip and bite.

"No; but if only the People didn't live so far apart. Some murderous
person wanted them to have only one neck. I want them to have only one
ear. Only then unfortunately everybody would speak well--which would
bring things round to dulness again. Does Mr. Raeburn make you think
very bad things of me, Miss Boyce?"

He bent forward to her as he spoke, his blue eyes all candour and mirth.

Marcella started.

"How can he?" she said abruptly. "I am not a Conservative."

"Not a Conservative?" he said joyously. "Oh! but impossible! Does that
mean that you ever read my poor little speeches?"

He pointed to the local newspaper, freshly cut, which lay on a table at
Marcella's elbow.

"Sometimes--" said Marcella, embarrassed. "There is so little time."

In truth she had hardly given his candidature a thought since the day
Aldous proposed to her. She had been far too much taken up with her own
prospects, with Lady Winterbourne's friendship, and her village schemes.

He laughed.

"Of course there is. When is the great event to be?"

"I didn't mean that," said Marcella, stiffly. "Lady Winterbourne and I
have been trying to start some village workshops. We have been working
and talking, and writing, morning, noon, and night."

"Oh! I know--yes, I heard of it. And you really think anything is going
to come out of finicking little schemes of that sort?"

His dry change of tone drew a quick look from her. The fresh-co