ne of firm decision.

"No!" he exclaimed.

"Crasweller, it must be done. The law demands it."

"No, no; not by me. You and young Grundle together are in a
conspiracy to get rid of me. I am not going to be shut up a whole
year before my time."

With that he stalked into the inner house, leaving me alone on the
verandah. I had nothing for it but to turn on the electric lamp of my
tricycle and steam back to Government House at Gladstonopolis with a
sad heart.

CHAPTER IV.

JACK NEVERBEND.

Six months passed away, which, I must own to me was a period of great
doubt and unhappiness, though it was relieved by certain moments
of triumph. Of course, as the time drew nearer, the question of
Crasweller's deposition became generally discussed by the public of
Gladstonopolis. And so also did the loves of Abraham Grundle and Eva
Crasweller. There were "Evaites" and "Abrahamites" in the community;
for though the match had not yet been altogether broken, it was known
that the two young people differed altogether on the question of the
old man's deposition. It was said by the defendents of Grundle, who
were to be found for the most part among the young men and young
women, that Abraham was simply anxious to carry out the laws of his
country. It happened that, during this period, he was elected to a
vacant seat in the Assembly, so that, when the matter came on for
discussion there, he was able to explain publicly his motives; and
it must be owned that he did so with good words and with a certain
amount of youthful eloquence. As for Eva, she was simply intent on
preserving the lees of her father's life, and had been heard to
express an opinion that the college was "all humbug," and that people
ought to be allowed to live as long as it pleased God to let them.
Of course she had with her the elderly ladies of the community, and
among them my own wife as the foremost. Mrs Neverbend had never made
herself prominent before in any public question; but on this she
seemed to entertain a very warm opinion. Whether this arose entirely
from her desire to promote Jack's welfare, or from a reflection that
her own period of deposition was gradually becoming nearer, I never
could quite make up my mind. She had, at any rate, ten years to run,
and I never heard from her any expressed fear of,--departure. She
was,--and is,--a brave, good woman, attached to her household duties,
anxious for her husband's comfort, but beyond measure solici