turned to continue his leisurely course of inspection.

As Desmond returned from his hurried meal, he again met Molly, towing
her unwilling captive home. She signalled to Desmond to stop.

"I have been thinking that you might take me to the meeting," she said.

Desmond shook his head.

"Not to-night, Molly. You would have me laughing all the time. There's a
circus coming next week; will you come to that?"

"Do you think I am never serious?" the girl asked. "I would not so much
as smile."

"It can't be done, Molly. I shall be sitting at a table writing for all
I am worth."

"Then I will sit just behind you and torment you all the while," she
remarked vindictively.

And such was her purpose when she induced Dr. Marsh to accompany her to
the Town Hall that evening.

"You don't know what you are doing!" he protested. "I shall go to sleep,
I know. Did you ever hear me snore? They tell me it's like the grunt of
a boar when he is hungry after a seven days' fast."

"Let me hear you do it now!" she laughed. "I am going there to-night
just to tease Desmond O'Connor. He refused to take me."

"What is Desmond doing there?" asked the doctor.

"Taking notes of the speeches. It won't be many notes he will take
to-night," she answered.

"For shame, Molly. This is the boy's chance of promotion. If I take you,
we shall sit at the back of the hall."

"Among the boys?" asked Molly. "Then you shall take me to enjoy the fun.
I'll ignore Desmond to-night; but I will be even with him for this."

A political meeting, with two picked speakers to leaven a number of dull
and uninteresting harangues. It was not a very exciting entertainment.
But there were "the boys," vociferous, intolerant, sometimes amusing, to
enliven proceedings for Molly; while Desmond snatched up the salient
features in shorthand and with pencil. Samuel Quirk was a keen
politician, and he had transferred the scope of his energy from
Collingwood to Grey Town. Unlike many men, he had not changed his
politics with the change in his fortunes. He it was who had organised
the opposition. At his word a storm of protest, a roar of ironical
laughter, or a volley of interjections harassed the speakers on the
platform. And it was Samuel Quirk who asked the first questions at the
close of the meeting. Straightway Desmond transferred the old man to his
note-book, to appear on the following morning as "The Interjector in
Chief," in company with Martin and Langridge.

"