bent to
take his privilege when a step in the hall threatened and divided them.

"It's only Mr Hesketh going upstairs," said Dora, with relief. "I
thought it was Father. Oh, Lorne--fly!"

"Hesketh!" Young Murchison's face clouded. "Is he working for Winter,
too?"

"Lorne! What a thing to ask when you know he believes in your ideas.
But he's a Conservative at home, you see, so he says he's in an awkward
position, and he has been taking perfectly neutral ground lately. He
hasn't a vote, anyway."

"No," said Lorne. "He's of no consequence."

The familiar easy step in the house of his beloved, the house he was
being entreated to leave with all speed, struck upon his heart and his
nerves. She, with her dull surface to the more delicate vibrations of
things, failed to perceive this, or perhaps she would have thought it
worth while to find some word to bring back his peace. She disliked
seeing people unhappy. When she was five years old and her kitten broke
its leg, she had given it to a servant to drown.

He took his hat, making no further attempt to caress her, and opened the
door. "I hope you WILL win, Lorne," she said, half-resentfully, and he,
with forced cheerfulness, replied, "Oh, we'll have a shot at it." Then
with a little silent nod at her which, notwithstanding her provocations,
conveyed his love and trust, he went out into the struggle of the day.

In spite of Squire Ormiston's confident prediction, it was known that
the fight would be hottest, among the townships, in Moneida Reservation.
Elgin itself, of course, would lead the van for excitement, would be
the real theatre for the arts of practical politics; but things would be
pretty warm in Moneida, too. It was for that reason that Bingham and
the rest strongly advised Lorne not to spend too much of the day in
the town, but to get out to Moneida early, and drive around with
Ormiston--stick to him like a fly to poison-paper.

"You leave Elgin to your friends," said Bingham. "Just show your face
here and there wearing a smile of triumph, to encourage the crowd; but
don't worry about the details--we'll attend to them."

"We can't have him upsettin' his own election by any interference with
the boys," said Bingham to Horace Williams. "He's got too long a nose
for all kinds of things to be comfortable in town today. He'll do a
great deal less harm trotting round the Reserve braced up against old
Ormiston."

So Elgin was left to the capable hands of the boy