discouraging, Sayler," he said forlornly. "But I refuse to
be discouraged. The party needs you, and I have come to do my duty, and
I won't leave without doing it."

"I have nothing to do with the company's political contributions," said
I. "You will have to see Mr. Ramsay, as usual."

He waved his hand. "Let me explain, please. Roover is about to
resign,--as you probably know, he's been chairman of the party's state
committee for seventeen years. I've come to ask you to take his place."

It was impossible wholly to hide my amazement, my stupefaction. Had he
had the shadowiest suspicion of my plans, of the true inwardness of the
Croffut-Dominick movement, he would as readily have offered me his own
head. In fact, he was offering me his own head; for, with the money and
the other resources at my command, I needed only this place of official
executive of the party to make me master. And here he was, giving me the
place, under the delusion that he could use me as he had been using
Roover.

He must have misread my expression, for he went on: "Don't refuse on
impulse, Sayler. I and the others will do everything to make your duties
as light as possible."

"I should not be content to be a mere figure-head, as Roover has been,"
I warned him. He had come, in his desperation, to try to get the man who
combined the advantages of being, as he supposed, Dominick's enemy and a
member of one of the state's financially influential families. He had
come to cozen me into letting him use me in return for a mockery of an
honor. And I was simply tumbling him, or, rather, permitting him to
tumble himself, into the pit he had dug for me. Still, I felt that I
owed it to my self-respect to give him a chance. "If I take the place, I
shall fill it _to the best of my ability_."

"Certainly, certainly,--we want your ability." Behind his bland, cordial
mask I saw the spider eyes gleaming and the spider claws twitching as he
felt his net quiver under hovering wings. "We want you--we need you,
Sayler. We expect you to do your best."

My best! What would my "best" have been, had I been only what he
thought,--dependent upon him for supplies, surrounded by his
lieutenants, hearing nothing but what he chose to tell me, and able to
execute only such orders as he gave or approved!

"I am sure we can count on you," he urged.

"I will try it," said I, after a further hesitation that was not
altogether show.

He did not linger,--he wished to give m