iliation, and that the Jesuits and Sanfedists are
the people who will profit by it all, he's right a thousand times. I
wish I could have been at the committee yesterday. What decision did you
finally arrive at?"

"What I have come here about: to ask you to go and talk it over with him
and persuade him to soften the thing."

"Me? But I hardly know the man; and besides that, he detests me. Why
should I go, of all people?"

"Simply because there's no one else to do it to-day. Besides, you
are more reasonable than the rest of us, and won't get into useless
arguments and quarrel with him, as we should."

"I shan't do that, certainly. Well, I will go if you like, though I have
not much hope of success."

"I am sure you will be able to manage him if you try. Yes, and tell him
that the committee all admired the thing from a literary point of view.
That will put him into a good humour, and it's perfectly true, too."

*****

The Gadfly was sitting beside a table covered with flowers and ferns,
staring absently at the floor, with an open letter on his knee. A shaggy
collie dog, lying on a rug at his feet, raised its head and growled as
Gemma knocked at the open door, and the Gadfly rose hastily and bowed
in a stiff, ceremonious way. His face had suddenly grown hard and
expressionless.

"You are too kind," he said in his most chilling manner. "If you had let
me know that you wanted to speak to me I would have called on you."

Seeing that he evidently wished her at the end of the earth, Gemma
hastened to state her business. He bowed again and placed a chair for
her.

"The committee wished me to call upon you," she began, "because there
has been a certain difference of opinion about your pamphlet."

"So I expected." He smiled and sat down opposite to her, drawing a large
vase of chrysanthemums between his face and the light.

"Most of the members agreed that, however much they may admire the
pamphlet as a literary composition, they do not think that in its
present form it is quite suitable for publication. They fear that the
vehemence of its tone may give offence, and alienate persons whose help
and support are valuable to the party."

He pulled a chrysanthemum from the vase and began slowly plucking
off one white petal after another. As her eyes happened to catch the
movement of the slim right hand dropping the petals, one by one, an
uncomfortable sensation came over Gemma, as though she had somewhere
seen that