done, no matter what
the immediate suffering. His eyes sought Winifred's, misty with
apprehension, admiration, love. And Charlie? His temple pulse beat
visibly in his effort to control his nerves. His face was fixed as the
face of one dead. Could any appeal snatch him from being the keystone of
that elaborate structure builded by Burroughs and Moore--so nearly
completed? If he refused to become that apex, even for this one ballot
to be called as soon as Danvers finished speaking, there was a faint
hope that the apparently inevitable could be averted. Stepping nearer
his colleagues in his vehemence, Senator Danvers brought his
unpremeditated speech to an end.

"For God's sake, are there not men enough in this body to help me to
drive out corruption and fraud and dishonor, and establish integrity and
justice? I ask in the name of women and children, wives and sweethearts,
pioneers and posterity! Let us not become a disgrace to the nations of
the world! We can clean these Augean stables by one concentrated effort,
even as England cleaned her corrupt borough elections of a century and a
half ago. Let us fix on one man who will stand for civic purity, virtue
and honor, no matter what his party. Let us elect a United States
senator who is above reproach, above the taint of gaining a victory by
the downfall of his fellow men! In the next ballot, let us each vote as
his conscience dictates!"

It was said. Senator Danvers stepped back to his seat amid a buzz of
blended approval and hisses, which came to his brain as the sound of
swarming bees. He felt sick and weak. His appeal seemed hopelessly
futile. But he sat erect, with no sign of discouragement, and looked
fixedly at Senator Blair in the hope of seeing some inkling of change
from his declaration that if he came to the capitol he should vote for
Burroughs. But Blair would not look his way.

[Illustration]

Chapter XVI

The Election

Danvers did not hear the clerk of the Senate as he began the roll-call
of the senators after the presiding officer had rapped for order. The
first three men in the A's were irrevocably opposed to Burroughs and
Danvers concentrated his whole thought on Senator Blair's change of
heart.

While the men preceding Charlie were voting, Winifred whispered to her
brother. He did not seem to hear, and his dazed eyes were still fixed
straight ahead. The flaming red of the scar made his face look still
more ghastly, and at times his form