ore. He was anxious to prove himself
worthy of the woman he loved. To his casual acquaintances he did not
seem to alter much. If he was not cynical, he was satirical; he laughed,
as of old, at what he called the humour of politics and religion. He
professed but little faith in either philanthropy or self-sacrifice.
More than once he offended some of his constituents by his remarks about
their institutions, which they said were for the good of humanity. All
the same, he rose greatly in the estimation of the people as a whole.
They recognised something like moral earnestness behind his brilliant
speeches, while at every meeting he attended he seemed to strike a
deeper, truer note.

Especially was this true at a meeting which Olive attended. She paid a
visit to her old friend at Taviton Grange, and during the time she was
there a demonstration was arranged for in the Public Hall. Olive had
never heard Leicester speak in public, and she looked forward to the
gathering with great eagerness. There were to be two speeches on the
occasion, besides that of the chairman. One was by one of the most
important leaders of the Opposition, and the other by Leicester, who was
to speak as the accepted candidate. Of course the hall was packed. The
ex-Cabinet Minister was spoken of as the ablest speaker in the party,
and his name was a household word. Naturally, moreover, the ex-Cabinet
Minister had the place of honour. For more than an hour he spoke,
leading the thoughts of the people from one point to another, until, as
some one remarked, he had covered the whole field of politics, leaving
nothing for Leicester to say. Olive Castlemaine, who was naturally
keenly interested in the meeting, felt this more than any one. She
wanted to hear her lover at his best, and when the circumstances should
be of the most favourable nature.

"How can Radford be at his best after the people have been listening to
this great man for more than an hour?" she said to herself. "Oh, I wish
he would stop!"

He came to an end at length, and the people cheered heartily. His speech
was a strong vindication of his own policy, and a stronger condemnation
of the doings of the Government. In truth, there seemed nothing more to
say. Still Leicester, as the accepted candidate, was called upon to
speak, and as he rose the people gave him a great welcome. The air was
hot and stifling, the audience had listened attentively for more than an
hour to the speaker of the eve