viland's circle. His remaining anxiety was removed, when, on driving
over, his investigations proved that the arrangement had been fully
completed.

De Bleury only got the news in the morning, and Picault, who immediately
hurried over at his suggestion, found himself too late, and his
carefully prepared representation that "promissory notes representing an
immoral compact were invalid" was of no use, while his invitation of
the crowd to 'whiskeyblanc' only produced useless condolences. "_C'est
dommage, monsieur_. If we could have known." He was not altogether
displeased, however, to find what he considered the inevitable hole in
Chamilly's professions of purity, and meeting the latter driving just
outside the place, he wheeled his horse across the road and compelled an
interview.

"You think you can do without Picault!" he laughed frankly.

"Let me pass, sir!" said Haviland, unwilling to put up with any
nonsense.

"To take up the promissory notes of your friend?"

"Do you think sir, that I use your inventions? Let me pass, I tell you,"
and he rose with his whip.

"I have seen the cards, Haviland; take the game; let us be partners;
what is the use of dissembling in this extraordinary manner?"

A flash of the whip,--a leap of the two animals,--Picault careening into
the ditch, and Chamilly flying into Misericorde.

CHAPTER XL.

HAVILAND REFUSES

"Nobleness still makes us proud"

--FREDERICK GEORGE SCOTT

The election was Haviland's.

A great crowd gathered into Dormilliere at the close of that long day,
thickening and pouring in from the country around, and arriving by boats
across the river, to hear the returns: and as Zotique read them in
triumph from a chair at the door of the Circuit Court, and the issue, at
first breathlessly uncertain, finally appeared, the cheering became
frantic. Chamilly himself came out to them, an incomprehensible,
determined aspect on his face, and amid deafening hurrahs, was seized
and hurried on their shoulders across the square to the crier's rostrum,
where he stood up before them.

And then and there took place the most unheard of incident, the most
remarkable outcome of Haviland's lofty character, of which there as yet
was record.

His voice can be heard distinct and clear over a perfect hush. What does
he say? tell me,--have we really caught it correctly? Fact unique in
political history; _he was refusing the election on account of the
frauds_!

"Grandmouli