in each it would be more
than we could afford to lose. Vittie thinks he has them all safe in his
breeches pocket, but I have a letter here which will put his hair out of
curl for a while."

"I hate men with curly hair," I said. "It's so effeminate."

Titherington seemed to think this remark foolish, though I meant it as
an additional evidence of my determination to oppose Vittie to the last.

"Read the letter," he said.

I read it. If such a thing had been physically possible it would have
put my hair into curl. It did, I feel almost certain, make it rise up
and stand on end.

"I see by this letter," I said, "that I am pledging myself to support
some very radical temperance legislation."

"You're giving them to understand that you pledge yourself. There's a
difference, as I told you before."

"I may find myself in rather an awkward position if----"

"You'll, be in a much awkwarder one if Vittie gets those votes and lets
O'Donoghue in!"

Titherington spoke in such a determined tone that I signed the letter at
once.

"Is there anything else?" I asked. "Now that I am pledging myself in
this wholesale way there's no particular reason why I shouldn't go on."

Titherington shuffled his papers about.

"Most of the rest of them," he said, "are just the ordinary things. We
needn't worry about them. There's only one other letter--ah! here it is.
By the way, have you any opinions about woman's suffrage?"

"Not one," I said, "but I don't, of course, want to be ragged if it can
be avoided. Shall I pledge myself to get votes for all the unmarried
women in the constituency, or ought I to go further?"

Titherington looked at me severely. Then he said:

"It won't do us any harm if Vittie is made to smell hell by a few
militant Suffragettes."

"After the hole he's put us in about temperance," I said, "he'll deserve
the worst they can do to him."

"In any ordinary case I'd hesitate; for women are a nuisance, a d----d
nuisance. But this is going to be such an infernally near thing that I'm
half inclined---- It's nuts and apples to them to get their knives into
any one calling himself a Liberal, which shows they have some sense.
Besides, the offer has, so to speak, dropped right into our mouths. It
would be sinning against our mercies and flying in the face of
Providence not to consider it."

I had, up to that moment, no reason for suspecting Titherington of
any exaggerated respect for Providence. But there are queer