y say?" asked Mr. Flint, leaning forward eagerly and
aggressively.

Victoria hesitated, turning over the matter in her mind.

"You understand, I am merely repeating what they say--"

"Yes, yes," he interrupted, "I want to know how far this thing has gone
among them."

"Well," continued Victoria, looking at him bravely, "as nearly as I can
remember their argument it is this: that the Northeastern Railroads
control the politics of the State for their own benefit. That you appoint
the governors and those that go to the Legislature, and that--Hilary
Vane gets them elected. They say that he manages a political
machine--that's the right word, isn't it?--for you. And that no laws can
be passed of which you do not approve. And they say that the politicians
whom Hilary Vane commands, and the men whom they put into office are all
beholden to the railroad, and are of a sort which good citizens cannot
support. They say that the railroad has destroyed the people's
government."

Mr. Flint, for the moment forgetting or ignoring the charges, glanced at
her in astonishment. The arraignment betrayed an amount of thought on the
subject which he had not suspected.

"Upon my word, Victoria," he said, "you ought to take the stump for
Humphrey Crewe."

She reached out with a womanly gesture, and laid her hand upon his.

"I am only telling you--what I hear," she said.

"Won't you explain to me the way you look at it? These people don't all
seem to be dishonest men or charlatans. Some of them, I know, are
honest." And her colour rose again.

"Then they are dupes and fools," Mr. Flint declared vehemently. "I don't
know how to explain it to you the subject is too vast, too far-reaching.
One must have had some business experience to grasp it. I don't mean to
say you're not intelligent, but I'm at a loss where to begin with you.
Looked at from their limited point of view, it would seem as if they had
a case. I don't mean your friend, Humphrey Crewe--it's anything to get
office with him. Why, he came up here and begged me--"

"I wasn't thinking of Humphrey Crewe," said Victoria. Mr. Flint gave an
ejaculation of distaste.

"He's no more of a reformer than I am. And now we've got that wild son of
Hilary Vane's--the son of one of my oldest friends and associates
--making trouble. He's bitten with this thing, too, and he's got some
brains in his head. Why," exclaimed Mr. Flint, stopping abruptly and
facing his daughter, "you know him! He'