e poor dear Humphrey
again," said Mrs. Pomfret, examining the group on the porch through her
gold-mounted lenses; "these awful people are always here when I come. I
wonder if they sleep here, in the hammocks and lounging chairs! Alice,
we must be very polite to them--so much depends on it."

"I'm always polite, mother," answered Alice, "except when you tell me
not to be. The trouble is I never know myself."

The victoria stopped in front of the door, and the irreproachable Waters
advanced across the porch.

"Waters," said Mrs. Pomfret, "I suppose Mr. Crewe is too busy to come
out."

"I'm afraid so, madam," replied Waters; "there's a line of gentlemen
waitin' here" (he eyed them with no uncertain disapproval) "and I've
positive orders not to disturb him, madam."

"I quite understand, at a time like this," said Mrs. Pomfret, and
added, for the benefit of her audience, "when Mr. Crewe has been
public-spirited and unselfish enough to undertake such a gigantic task.
Tell him Miss Pomfret and I call from time to time because we are so
interested, and that the whole of Leith wishes him success."

"I'll tell him, madam," said Waters.

But Mrs. Pomfret did not give the signal for her coachman to drive on.
She looked, instead, at the patient gathering.

"Good morning, gentlemen," she said.

"Mother!" whispered Alice, "what are you going to do?"

The gentlemen rose.

"I'm Mrs. Pomfret," she said, as though that simple announcement were
quite sufficient,--as it was, for the metropolitan press. Not a man of
them who had not seen Mrs. Pomfret's important movements on both sides
of the water chronicled. "I take the liberty of speaking to you, as we
all seem to be united in a common cause. How is the campaign looking?"

Some of the gentlemen shifted their cigars from one hand to the other,
and grinned sheepishly.

"I am so interested," continued Mrs. Pomfret; "it is so unusual in
America for a gentleman to be willing to undertake such a thing,
to subject himself to low criticism, and to have his pure motives
questioned. Mr. Crewe has rare courage--I have always said so. And we
are all going to put our shoulder to the wheel, and help him all we
can."

There was one clever man there who was quick to see his opportunity, and
seize it for his newspaper.

"And are you going to help Mr. Crewe in his campaign, Mrs. Pomfret?"

"Most assuredly," answered Mrs. Pomfret. "Women in this country could
do so much if they only wou