and fought for an instant
with a trembling of the lip. "But now that you have been persuaded to be
a part of our life here," she said to Christie, "I thought I would
like to come and offer you my friendship because it is his already. I
hope--so much--that you will be happy here. It is a nice little place.
And I want you to let me help you--about your house, and in every way
that is possible. I am sure I can be of use." She paused and looked at
their still half-hostile faces. "I hope," she faltered, "you don't mind
my--having come?"

"Not at all," said Christie, and Mrs Kilbannon added, "I'm sure you mean
it very kindly."

A flash of the comedy of it shot up in Advena's eyes. "Yes," she said,
"I do. Good-bye."

If they had followed her departure they would have been further
confounded to see her walk not quite steadily away; shaken with
fantastic laughter. They looked instead at one another, as if to find
the solution of the mystery where indeed it lay, in themselves.

"She doesn't even belong to his congregation," said Christie. "Just a
friend, she said."

"I expect the friendship's mostly upon her side," remarked Mrs
Kilbannon. "She seemed frank enough about it. But I would see no
necessity for encouraging her friendship on my own account, if I were in
your place, Christie."

"I think I'll manage without it," said Christie.

CHAPTER XXIX

The South Fox fight was almost over. Three days only remained before the
polling booths would be open, and the voters of the towns of Elgin and
Clayfield and the surrounding townships would once again be invited to
make their choice between a Liberal and a Conservative representative of
the district in the Dominion House of Commons. The ground had never been
more completely covered, every inch of advantage more stubbornly held,
by either side, in the political history of the riding. There was no
doubt of the hope that sat behind the deprecation in Walter Winter's
eye, nor of the anxiety that showed through the confidence freely
expressed by the Liberal leaders. The issue would be no foregone
conclusion, as it had been practically any time within the last eleven
years; and as Horace Williams remarked to the select lot that met pretty
frequently at the Express office for consultation and rally, they had
"no use for any sort of carelessness."

It was undeniably felt that the new idea, the great idea whose putative
fatherhood in Canada certainly lay at the door of the Li