but I'm rather surprised to hear you quoting and
endorsing it. I always thought you were a Conservative."

"I am. But what has that got to do with your theories about--?"

"If you are a Conservative you ought not to be backing up Oliver
Cromwell. He was a revolutionary of an extreme kind. You ought to be
ashamed of giving your adherence to any sentiment of his. You might
just as well propose to cut off the king's head."

"I don't quite see why I'm bound to believe in your infallibility
because I happen to be a Conservative. All I suggested was that you
might possibly be mistaken."

"In putting your suggestion in the way you did," said Meldon, "you
proclaimed yourself a disciple and admirer of Oliver Cromwell. I've no
particular objection to that. I'm not a prejudiced man in political
matters, and Cromwell is a long time dead. If you choose to proclaim
yourself a regicide, I shan't quarrel with you. All I want you to
understand is that you can't have it both ways. No man can quote
Oliver Cromwell with approval and still go on calling himself a
loyalist."

"All the same, you may be mistaken about Miss King."

"I may," said Meldon; "any man may be mistaken, unless he happens to be
a Pope, who of course never is, _ex officio_; but as a matter of fact I
very seldom am, and in this particular case I'm demonstrably right."

"Well, don't air your theory to the judge; that's all I care about."

"Not being a perfect fool, I won't. I have a considerable natural
talent for diplomacy, as I daresay you've observed, and I'm not the
least likely to start off by putting up that judge's back. My game is
to pacify and soothe him in such a way that he will become our active
ally."

"You'll find that difficult after the paraffin oil."

"If necessary," said Meldon, "I shall apologise for the paraffin, but I
scarcely expect it will be necessary. The judge is a sensible man. He
knows that we have to take the rough with the smooth in life. He'll
regard that as a mere incident, a more or less humorous incident."

"He'll be a queer sort of man if he does."

"And now," said Meldon, "I must be off. It's nearly ten o'clock,
thanks to your lazy habit of not breakfasting till after nine.
Fortunately, I've still got Doyle's bicycle. Not that it's at all a
dependable machine. The pedal will probably come off once at least on
my way in. However, at worst, I'll be there by eleven."

The pedal on this occasion held to its