"I dare say you remember that the young man conspired with my wife to boost me into a peerage behind my back However!--" "One last word, Tallente," Horlock interrupted.

"I am not at liberty to tell you from what source the offer as to your article came, but I can tell you this--Palliser was not or did not appear to be connected with it in any way." "But I know who was," Tallente exclaimed, with a sudden lightning-like recollection of that meeting on the railway platform at Woody Bay.--"Miller!" Horlock made no answer.

To his visitor, however, the whole affair was now clear.
"Miller must have bought the manuscript from Palliser," he said, "when he knew what sort of an offer Dartrey was going to make to me and realised how it would affect him.

Horlock, I am not sure, after all, that I don't rather envy you if you decide to drop out of politics.

The main road is well enough, but the by-ways are pretty filthy." Horlock remained gravely silent and Tallente passed out of the room, realising that he had finally severed his connection with orthodox English politics.