WHENEVER a man reaches the top of the political ladder, his enemies unite to pull him down.

His friends become critical and exacting.

Among the many dangers of this sort which now threatened Ratcliffe, there was one that, had he known it, might have made him more uneasy than any of those which were the work of senators and congressmen.

Carrington entered into an alliance, offensive and defensive, with Sybil.

It came about in this wise.