looking up; and there were tears in her eyes that
contradicted the hardness of her language, “you
might not pity him if you knew my history; perhaps
you would not wonder at some things you hear.
No; it is useless to ask me why it must be so.
You can’t make a life over—society
wouldn’t let you if you would—and
mine must be lived as it is. There, sir, I’m
not offended; but it is useless for you to say anything
more.”
Philip went away with his heart lightened about Harry,
but profoundly saddened by the glimpse of what this
woman might have been. He told Harry all that
was necessary of the conversation—she was
bent on going her own way, he had not the ghost of
a chance—he was a fool, she had said, for
thinking he had.
And Harry accepted it meekly, and made up his own
mind that Philip didn’t know much about women.
The galleries of the House were packed, on the momentous
day, not because the reporting of an important bill
back by a committee was a thing to be excited about,
if the bill were going to take the ordinary course
afterward; it would be like getting excited over the
empaneling of a coroner’s jury in a murder case,
instead of saving up one’s emotions for the
grander occasion of the hanging of the accused, two
years later, after all the tedious forms of law had
been gone through with.
But suppose you understand that this coroner’s
jury is going to turn out to be a vigilance committee
in disguise, who will hear testimony for an hour and
then hang the murderer on the spot? That puts
a different aspect upon the matter. Now it was
whispered that the legitimate forms of procedure usual
in the House, and which keep a bill hanging along for
days and even weeks, before it is finally passed upon,
were going to be overruled, in this case, and short
work made of the, measure; and so, what was beginning
as a mere inquest might, torn out to be something very
different.
In the course of the day’s business the Order
of “Reports of Committees” was finally
reached and when the weary crowds heard that glad
announcement issue from the Speaker’s lips they
ceased to fret at the dragging delay, and plucked
up spirit. The Chairman of the Committee on
Benevolent Appropriations rose and made his report,
and just then a blue-uniformed brass-mounted little
page put a note into his hand.
It was from Senator Dilworthy, who had appeared upon
the floor of the House for a moment and flitted away
again:
“Everybody expects
a grand assault in force; no doubt you believe,
as I certainly do, that
it is the thing to do; we are strong, and
everything is hot for
the contest. Trollop’s espousal of our
cause
has immensely helped
us and we grow in power constantly. Ten of the
opposition were called
away from town about noon,(but—so it is
said—only
for one day). Six others are sick, but expect
