from Aunt Maria; she rose to her feet and
crossed the room to May.

"If he's going to abuse Sandro, I mustn't stay," she said. "I couldn't
bear to lose any of my illusions, my dear." She kissed May and added,
"You might tell him to come and see me, though. I should like to hear
what he's got in his head now. Good-bye, Lord Richard. Don't you fret
about your Crusade. Sandro'll take it up again when it's convenient." She
chuckled again at the puzzled stare which accompanied Dick's shake of the
hand.

"A very kind old woman, but with a rather malicious tongue," said May.
She walked to the hearth and stood there, facing her visitor. "Now, Dick,
what is it?" she asked.

"The Dean's tremendously hurt about it; he doesn't say much, but he feels
it deeply."

"I'm very sorry. What are the personal considerations?"

"You know Henstead?" It was the borough for which Quisante sat. "There's
an old Wesleyan colony there; several of them are very rich and employ a
lot of labour and so on. They've always voted for us. And they've found a
lot of the money. They found a lot when Quisante got in before."

"Yes?" Her voice displayed interest but nothing more. Dick grew rather
red and hurried on with his story.

"Well, one of them, old Foster the maltster, came to your husband
and--and told him they didn't like the Crusade and that it wouldn't do."
He paused, glanced at May for an instant, and ended, "The seat's not
safe, you know, and--and it wants money to fight it."

A silence of some few minutes followed. Dick fidgeted with his hat, while
May looked out of the window on to the river.

"Why do you come and tell this to me?" she asked presently. "Supposing it
was all true, what could I do?"

Dick's resentment got the better of him; he answered hotly, "Well, you
might tell him that it was playing it pretty low down on us."

"Have you told him that?"

"Yes, I have, or I shouldn't have come to you. I don't mean I used just
those words, but I made my meaning clear enough."

"And what did he say?"

"He said he didn't see it in the light I did."

A faint smile came on the face of Mr. Quisante's wife.

"But you could make him see it," urged Dick. May smiled at him for a
brief moment and then looked out to the river again.

"It'll be deuced awkward for him if they get hold of his back speeches,"
said Dick with gloomy satisfaction.

"Oh, everybody's back speeches are what you call deuced awkward." A
moment later she went on