Part 48 (1/2)

Galt laughed, with a wave of his thin, nervous hand.

”My dear governor, you are the one great man in State politics, but that unimportant fact would not have landed you into your present seat had not the little revivalistic episode befuddled the brains of the convention.”

Nicholas shook his head impatiently. ”You make too much of that,” he said.

”Perhaps. I want to impress upon you that you have a hard fight before you. The Webb men are already putting in a little quiet work in the legislature--and they have even been after the guards at the penitentiary. Major Rann is your man, and he tells me the Webb leaders are the quietest, most insidious workers he has ever met. As it is, he is your great card, and his influence is immense. Webb would give his right hand for him.”

The governor tossed the hair from his brow with a quick movement.

”I have the confidence of the people,” he said.

”The people! How long does it take a clever politician to befuddle them?

You aren't new to the business, and you know these things as well as I do--or better. I tell you, when Dudley Webb begins to stump the State the people will begin to howl for him. He'll win over the women and the old Confederates when he gets on the Civil War, and the rest will come easy. There won't be need of bogus ballots and disappearing election books when the members of the Democratic caucus are sent up next session.”

”What do you want?” demanded the governor abruptly. He leaned forward, his arms on the desk.

Galt tapped the list of appointments significantly.

”As a beginning, I want you to scratch out a good two-thirds of these names. The others will go all right. The men I have cross marked are not all Webb men to-day, but they will throw their influence on Webb's side when the pull comes.”

Nicholas took up the list and reread it carefully. ”The men I have named I believe to be best suited to the positions,” he returned. ”One, you may observe, is a Republican--that will call for hostile criticism--but he was beyond doubt the best man. I regret the fact that the majority of these men are Webb partisans, but I wish to make these appointments for reasons entirely apart from politics.”

Galt had risen, and he now stood looking down upon the governor with a smile in his eyes.

”So it goes?” he asked, pointing to the sheet of paper.

The other nodded.

”Yes, it goes. I am not a fool, Ben. I wish things were different--but it goes.”

”And so do I,” laughed Galt easily. ”You won't mind my remarking, by the way, that you are a brick, but a brick in the wrong road. However, you hold on to Rann, and the rest of us will hold on to you. Oh, we'll see you to-night at Carrie's coming-out affair, of course. The child wouldn't have you absent for worlds. If my wife and daughter represented the community you might become Dictator of Richmond. Good morning!”

As he crossed the little gallery where the portraits hung there was an abstracted smile about the corners of his shrewd mouth.

V

”Juliet!” called Galt as he swung open his house door.

It was his habit to call for his wife as soon as he crossed the threshold, and she was accustomed to respond from the drawing-room, the pantry, or the nursery, as the case might be. This evening her voice floated from the dining-room, and following the sound he stumbled over a shadowy palm and came upon Juliet as she put the last touches to a long white table, radiant with cut gla.s.s and roses.

She wore a faded blue dressing-gown, caught loosely together, and her curling hair, untouched by gray, fell carelessly from its coil across her full, fair cheek. She had developed from a fragile girl into a rounded matron without losing the peculiar charm of her beauty. The abundant curve of her white throat was still angelic in its outline. As she leaned over to settle the silver candelabra on the table, the light deepened the flush in her face and imparted a s.h.i.+fting radiance to her full-blown loveliness.

”How is it, little woman?” asked Galt as he put his arm about the blue dressing-gown. ”Working yourself to death, are you?”

Since entering his home he had lost entirely the air of business-like severity which he had worn all day. He looked young and credulous.

Juliet laughed with the pettish protest of a half-spoiled wife and drew back from the table.

”It is almost time to dress Carrie,” she said, ”and the ice-cream hasn't come. Everything else is here. Did you get dinner downtown?”