e for me to use it in this way, if it will
be of any benefit to you. You can repay me at any time. You will get
money from your poems and your stories in due time, and I shall not have
to suffer if I have to wait a long time for it. God knows, Alice," and
her name fell from his lips as though he had always called her by that
name, "that if half, or even the whole of my fortune would give you back
your sight, I would give it to you willingly. Do you believe me?" And he
took her hands again in his.

"I believe you," she said simply.

At that moment Mandy appeared at the door with the familiar cry,
"Supper's ready," and Quincy led Alice to her old place at the table and
took his seat at her side.

[Illustration: Quincy makes a speech (Act III.)]

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE TOWN MEETING.

The next day was Friday. After breakfast Quincy went to his room and
looked over the memorandum pad upon which he had taken pleasure in
jotting down the various items of his campaign against the
singing-master. As he looked at the pad he checked off the items that he
had attended to, but suddenly started back with an expression of
disgust.

"Confound it," said he, "I neglected to telegraph to those congressmen
when I was at Eastborough Centre last Tuesday. I hope I'm not too late."
He reflected for a moment, then said to himself, "No, it's all right;
this is the long session, and my friends will be in Washington."

He immediately wrote two letters to his Congressional friends, stating
that he had good reasons for having the appointment of Obadiah Strout as
postmaster at Mason's Corner, Mass., held up for a week.

"At the end of that time," he wrote, "I will either withdraw my
objections or present them in detail, accompanied by affidavits in
opposition to the appointment."

Having finished the letters, he went downstairs to the kitchen, and, as
usual, found Hiram engaged in conversation with Mandy.

"You are just the man I want," said he to Hiram; "I would like to have
you take these letters to the Mason's Corner post office and mail them
at once. You can tell Mr. Hill that the papers relating to the store are
nearly ready, and if he and his son will come here this afternoon we
will execute them. I would like to have you and Mr. Pettengill on hand
as witnesses."

Hiram started off on his mission, and Quincy returned to his room and
busied himself with the preparation of the documents for the transfer of
the grocery store,