th. The Governor had adopted the tone, half
authoritative, half reproachful, of a teacher reproving a refractory
child.

"My time, as you must know, is inadequate to the demands made upon it. I
am forced, on occasions, to turn more or less important matters over to
others. To whom more naturally than to you, Mr. Barclay?"

"May I suggest, sir, that there can be no profit in prolonging this
discussion? I appreciate the position perfectly, and I am quite prepared
to state what I know of Mr. Rathbawne's attitude toward the demands of
the Union."

"Ah," said the Governor, "that is as it should be, and as satisfactory
as possible. Let me remind you, Mr. Barclay, that it was not I, but
yourself, who introduced this digression."

He turned to the president of the Union.

"You will understand from what I have said, Mr. McGrath," he added,
"both to the Lieutenant-Governor and to you, that in the matter of the
proposed strike, he is, to all intents and purposes, acting in my stead.
He was in a position to approach Mr. Rathbawne, and I was not. Now, Mr.
Barclay, if you please"--

The Lieutenant-Governor straightened himself instinctively, as, for the
first time, he addressed himself to the agitator.

"Mr. McGrath," he said, "my confidence in Mr. Rathbawne's fairness and
integrity would have led me to approve any course which he might have
seen fit to take. As you have already heard me say, I had absolutely no
intention of endeavoring to influence his judgment. Greatly to my
surprise, Mr. Rathbawne himself consulted me in the matter, without any
suggestion on my part, and asked for my advice."

"That's fortunate," put in McGrath, "very fortunate. You've been able to
sidetrack a lot of trouble."

Barclay's eyes hardened at the hypocrisy of the sneer.

"I have pleasure in informing you," he continued, "that, in reply, I
advised him to fight the Union in the present dispute to the utmost of
his means and ability. I should have counseled him further to hold out
until he had spent his last cent and shed his last drop of blood, except
that, knowing him as I do, I conceived such a recommendation to be
wholly superfluous. Mr. Rathbawne has his character and his record
behind him. There is about as much chance of his yielding you an inch of
ground as if he were standing with his back against the Capitol!"

McGrath shrugged his shoulders.

"It's a damned funny way you have of not influencing people's judgment,"
he said.

"I