eyes to penetrate the thick darkness of the murky night, was able
to make out just beneath the window a sort of yellow glare. She ran
downstairs at full speed to open the door, and there upon the step stood
a link-boy, the tawny light from his torch showing up to perfection
the magnificent proportions of the man in a shaggy brown Inverness, who
stood beside him, and bringing into strong relief the masses of white
hair and the rugged Scottish face which, spite of cold and great
weariness, bore its usual expression of philosophic calm.

"I thought you were never coming," said Erica. "Why, you must be half
frozen! What a night it is!"

"We've been more than an hour groping our way from the station," said
Raeburn; "and cabs were unattainable." Then, turning to the link-boy,
"Come in, you are as cold and hungry as I am. Have you got something
hot, Eric?"

"Soup and coffee," said Erica. "Which would he like best?"

The boy gave his vote for soup, and, having seen him thoroughly
satisfied and well paid, they sent him home, and to his dying day he was
proud to tell the story of the foggy night when the people's tribune
had given him half of his own supper. The father and daughter were
soon comfortably installed beside the green room fire, Raeburn making a
hearty meal though it was past three o'clock.

"I never dreamed of finding you up, little son Eric," he said when the
warmth and the food had revived him. "I only telegraphed for fear you
should lock up for the night and leave me to shiver unknown on the
doorstep."

"But what happened?" asked Erica. "Why couldn't you lecture?"

"Ashborough had worked itself up into one of its tumults, and the fools
of authorities thought it would excite a breach of the peace, which was
excited quite as much and probably more by my not lecturing. But I'm not
going to be beaten! I shall go down there again in a few weeks."

"Was there any rioting?"

"Well, there was a roughish mob, who prevented my eating my dinner in
peace, and pursued me even into my bedroom; and some of the Ashborough
lambs were kind enough to overturn my cab as I was going to the station.
But, having escaped with nothing worse than a shaking, I'll forgive them
for that. The fact is they had burned me in effigy on the 5th and had so
much enjoyed the ceremony that, when the original turned up, they really
couldn't be civil to him, it would have been so very tame. I'm told
the effigy was such a fearful-looking monste