Bass had not been in Coniston since William's arrival. No need to
ask where he was. Jake Wheeler, Jethro's lieutenant in Coniston, gave
William a glowing account of that Throne Room in the Pelican Hotel at the
capital, from whence Jethro ruled the state during the sessions of the
General Court. This legislature sat to him as a sort of advisory
committee of three hundred and fifty: an expensive advisory committee to
the people, relic of an obsolete form of government. Many stories of the
now all-powerful Jethro William heard from the little coterie which made
their headquarters in his store--stories of how those methods of which we
have read were gradually spread over other towns and other counties. Not
that Jethro held mortgages in these towns and counties, but the local
lieutenants did, and bowed to him as an overlord. There were funny
stories, and grim stories of vengeance which William Wetherell heard and
trembled at. Might not Jethro wish to take vengeance upon him?

One story he did not hear, because no one in Coniston knew it. No one
knew that Cynthia Ware and Jethro Bass had ever loved each other.

At last, toward the end of June, it was noised about that the great man
was coming home for a few days. One beautiful afternoon William Wetherell
stood on the platform of the store, looking off at Coniston, talking to
Moses Hatch--young Moses, who is father of six children now and has
forgotten Cynthia Ware. Old Moses sleeps on the hillside, let us hope in
the peace of the orthodox and the righteous. A cloud of dust arose above
the road to the southward, and out of it came a country wagon drawn by a
fat horse, and in the wagon the strangest couple Wetherell had ever seen.
The little woman who sat retiringly at one end of the seat was all in
brilliant colors from bonnet to flounce, like a paroquet, red and green
predominating. The man, big in build, large-headed, wore an old-fashioned
blue swallow-tailed coat with brass buttons, a stock, and coonskin hat,
though it was summer, and the thumping of William Wetherell's heart told
him that this was Jethro Bass. He nodded briefly at Moses Hatch, who
greeted him with genial obsequiousness.

"Legislatur' through?" shouted Moses.

The great man shook his head and drove on.

"Has Jethro Bass ever been a member of the Legislature?" asked the
storekeeper, for the sake of something to say.

"Never would take any office but Chairman of the Selectmen," answered
Moses, who appar