win a
seat in the coming Parliament.

The other two men were Molloy, secretary to the congress, short,
smooth-faced, and wiry, a man whose pleasant eye and manner were often
misleading, since he was in truth one of the hottest fighting men of a
fighting movement; and Wilkins, a friend of Casey's--ex-iron worker,
Union official, and Labour candidate for a Yorkshire division--an
uneducated, passionate fellow, speaking with a broad, Yorkshire accent,
a bad man of affairs, but honest, and endowed with the influence which
comes of sincerity, together with a gift for speaking and superhuman
powers of physical endurance.

"Well, I'm glad it's over," said Wharton, throwing himself into a chair
with a long breath, and at the same time stretching out his hand to ring
the bell. "Casey, some whisky? No? Nor you, Wilkins? nor Molloy? As for
you, Bennett, I know it's no good asking you. By George! our
grandfathers would have thought us a poor lot! Well, some coffee at any
rate you must all of you have before you go back. Waiter! coffee. By the
way, I have been seeing something of Hallin, Bennett, down in the
country."

He took out his cigarette case as he spoke, and offered it to the
others. All refused except Molloy. Casey took his half-smoked pipe out
of his pocket and lit up. He was not a teetotaler as the others were,
but he would have scorned to drink his whisky and water at the expense
of a "gentleman" like Wharton, or to smoke the "gentleman's" cigarettes.
His class-pride was irritably strong. Molloy, who was by nature
anybody's equal, took the cigarette with an easy good manners, which
made Casey look at him askance.

Mr. Bennett drew his chair close to Wharton's. The mention of Hallin had
roused a look of anxiety in his quick dark eyes.

"How is he, Mr. Wharton? The last letter I had from him he made light of
his health. But you know he only just avoided a breakdown in that strike
business. We only pulled him through by the skin of his teeth--Mr.
Raeburn and I."

"Oh, he's no constitution; never had, I suppose. But he seemed much as
usual. He's staying with Raeburn, you know, and I've been staying with
the father of the young lady whom Raeburn 's going to marry."

"Ah! I've heard of that," said Bennett, with a look of interest. "Well,
Mr. Raeburn isn't on our side, but for judgment and fair dealing there
are very few men of his class and circumstances I would trust as I would
him. The lady should be happy."

"Of