made her miserable.  But she took Wharton’s “leaders” in the Clarion for another equally competent opinion on the same subject; and told herself that she was no judge.  As for the Company scandal, she had instantly and proudly responded to the appeal of his letter, and put the matter out of her thoughts, till at least he should give his own account.  So much at any rate she owed to the man who had stood by her through the Hurd trial.  Marcella Boyce would not readily believe in his dishonour!  She did not in fact believe it.  In spite of later misgivings, the impression of his personality, as she had first conceived it, in the early days at Mellor, was still too strong.

No—­rather—­she had constantly recollected throughout the day what was going on in Parliament.  These were for him testing and critical hours, and she felt a wistful sympathy.  Let him only rise to his part—­take up his great task.

* * * * *

An imperious knocking on her thin outer door roused her.  She went to open it and saw Anthony Craven,—­the perspiration standing on his brow, his delicate cripple’s face white and fierce.

“I want to talk to you,” he said without preface.  “Have you seen the afternoon papers?”

“No,” she said in astonishment, “I was just going to send for them.  What is wrong?”

He followed her into the sitting-room without speaking; and then he unfolded the Pall Mall he had in his hand and pointed to a large-print paragraph on the central page with a shaking hand.

Marcella read: 

“EXCITING SCENES IN THE HOUSE.—­MEETING OF THE LABOUR MEMBERS.—­A committee of the Labour representatives in Parliament met this afternoon at 2 o’clock for the purpose of electing a chairman, and appointing whips to the party, thus constituting a separate parliamentary group.  Much interest was felt in the proceedings, which it was universally supposed would lead to the appointment of Mr. H. S. Wharton, the member for West Brookshire, as chairman and leader of the Labour party.  The excitement of the meeting and in the House may be imagined when—­after a short but very cordial and effective speech from Mr. Bennett, the member for North Whinwick, in support of Mr. Wharton’s candidature—­Mr. Wilkins, the miner’s member for Derlingham, rose and made a series of astounding charges against the personal honour of the member for West Brookshire.  Put briefly, they amount to this:  that during the recent strike at Damesley the support of the Clarion newspaper, of which Mr. Wharton is owner and practically editor, was bought by the employers in return for certain shares in the new Syndicate; that the money for these shares—­which is put as high as 20,000 l.—­had already gone into Mr. Wharton’s private pocket; and that the change of policy on the part of the Clarion, which led to the collapse of the strike, was thus entirely due to what the Labour members can only regard under the circumstances as a bribe of a most disgraceful kind.  The effect produced has been enormous.  The debate is still proceeding, and reporters have been excluded.  But I hope to send a fuller account later.”