ected, and,
in its _personnel_, almost identical with the party who set the
Prohibition question above and before all other matters. The concrete
form taken by this conflict of abstract principles seemed likely to
be--should the Government begin with a Temperance measure, or should it,
in the first place, proceed to give to Labour that drastic Factory and
Workshop Act which Norburn had advocated and Medland accepted, and which
would, Mr. Kilshaw declared, reduce every manufacturer to the position
of a slave of Government and a pauper to boot, would drive capital from
the colony, and shut up every mill in New Lindsey? Now Mr. Kilshaw
would, if he were reduced to choose, rather close the public-houses than
the mills. So he told Sir Robert Perry, who was very quiet, but very
watchful just now; and the story was that Sir Robert said, "Puttock has
got shares in the Southern Sea Mill--and Puttock's a Prohibition man,"
and refused to say any more; but that was enough--so the talk ran--to
send Mr. Kilshaw straight to Puttock's hall-door.

These public matters gave Mr. Coxon much food for thought. His own
attitude was, at present, considered to be one of neutrality towards the
rival factions in the Government. He was in the habit of defining his
aim in political life as being a steady and gradual removal of obstacles
to the progress of the colony; to attain complete truth, it was only
necessary to alter the definition by substituting "Mr. Coxon" for "the
colony"; and the question which now occupied him was how he might best
secure the best possible position for himself, without, as he hastened
to protest, abandoning his principles. He disliked Puttock, and he was
envious of Norburn, who threatened to supplant him as the "rising man"
of his party. Should he help Puttock to remove Norburn, or lend Norburn
a hand in ousting Puttock?

Down to the very week before the Legislative Assembly met, Mr. Medland
kept his own counsel, disclosing his mind not even to his colleagues.
Then he called a Cabinet, and listened to the conflicting views set
forth by Puttock and Norburn.

"And what do you say, Mr. Coxon?" he asked, when Puttock's vehement
harangue came to an end.

"I shall follow your judgment implicitly," replied Mr. Coxon, with
touching fidelity.

"I feel bound to state," said Mr. Puttock, "and I believe I speak for my
friend Jewell also" (Mr. Jewell nodded), "that with us priority for
Temperance legislation and a cautious pol