nothing; and, moreover,
she would never in the world have loved him if there had not been. The
girl was an aristocrat after all, when it came to a question not of
friendship but love. And Will knew it; love is penetrating enough to
divine that much from scanty data. He looked at the stranger with a
sort of transferred reverence--what a king of men must he be whom
Winifred could crown! And if he did not look at him without a blinding
pang, it was, nevertheless, a test of the thoroughness of the night's
work that there was neither bitterness nor aversion in it. Something,
that sense of having disarmed pain--not dodged nor outwitted it, but
disarmed it forever--must have been in Winkelried's consciousness as
the spears pressed in.

But, after all, it is _taking_ the second place that costs--not being
there after it has been once sincerely and thoroughly accepted. Bunyan
knew long ago that it was easy walking in the Valley of Humiliation,
once you had come safely down.

On the street an acquaintance met Strong and turned to walk beside
him. It was the man who would not trust Judge Garvey out of sight with
his baby's silver mug.

"I was just going to your office," he said. "It's something very
important." He spoke with a marked friendliness, and a transparently
covert sympathy. "You see," he went on, confidentially, "we fellows
that have been against Garvey begin to think our minority's about
over. The whole affair of Miss Northrop has hurt him. He was shabby
when first she came, about that Coakley business, and he's been ugly
about her ever since in a sneaking sort of way. Such a lady, too! And
there's a thing come out to-day--if you'll excuse my speaking of it."
He showed a certain embarrassment. "Uncle Billy Green gave it away
first--he knew, being postmaster--but Garvey's been boasting of it
himself, too, in the bar-room. You know you used to write to a fellow
in the States, and haven't written to him so much lately."

"Yes, I know," said Strong. The man caught a hint of what he did not
say in what he did.

"Uncle Billy gives away any interesting point he gets in the
post-office," he said, apologetically. "You knew that before, Strong.
Well, Garvey got out of him, too, that Miss Northrop didn't have nor
write any letters; and he got it into his head she was hiding. Anybody
could see she wasn't used to working for a living--"

"Look here--"

"Bless you, Strong, I sha'n't say a word disrespectful to her. This is