y else seemed
willing to undertake it."

Mrs. Pomfret's eyes had flashed.

"Men of that type are scarce," she answered. "But you'll win. You're the
kind of man that wins."

"Oh, yes, I'll win," said Mr. Crewe.

"You're so magnificently sure of yourself," cried Mrs. Pomfret. "Alice is
taking such an interest. Every day she asks, 'When is Humphrey going to
make his first speech?' You'll let us know in time, won't you?"

"Did you put all that nonsense in the New York Flare?" asked Mr. Crewe.

"Oh, Humphrey, I hope you liked it," cried Mrs. Pomfret. "Don't make the
mistake of despising what women can do. They elected the Honourable Billy
Aylestone--he said so himself. I'm getting all the women interested."

"Who've you been calling on now?" he inquired.

Mrs. Pomfret hesitated.

"I've been up at Fairview to see about Mrs. Flint. She isn't much
better."

"Is Victoria home?" Mr. Crewe demanded, with undisguised interest.

"Poor dear girl!" said Mrs. Pomfret, "of course I wouldn't have mentioned
the subject to her, but she wanted to know all about it. It naturally
makes an awkward situation between you and her, doesn't it?"

"Oh, Victoria's level-headed enough," Mr. Crewe had answered; "I guess
she knows something about old Flint and his methods by this time. At any
rate, it won't make any difference with me," he added magnanimously, and
threw in his clutch. He had encircled Fairview in his drive that day, and
was, curiously enough, headed in that direction now. Slow to make up his
mind in some things, as every eligible man must be, he was now coming
rapidly to the notion that he might eventually decide upon Victoria as
the most fitting mate for one in his position. Still, there was no hurry.
As for going to Fairview House, that might be awkward, besides being open
to misconstruction by his constituents. Mr. Crewe reflected, as he rushed
up the hills, that he had missed Victoria since she had been abroad--and
a man so continually occupied as he did not have time to miss many
people. Mr. Crewe made up his mind he would encircle Fairview every day
until he ran across her.

The goddess of fortune sometimes blesses the persistent even before they
begin to persist--perhaps from sheer weariness at the remembrance of
previous importuning. Victoria, on a brand-new and somewhat sensitive
five-year-old, was coming out of the stone archway when Mr. Crewe
(without any signal this time!) threw on his brakes. An exhibition of