“But confound it all!” he cried, “I’ve lost my carrots—­can’t you see?  I’ll never have any carrots again.  That’s the whole damned tragedy.”

For the first time she smiled—­the smile of the woman wiser in certain subtle things than the man. “my dear,” she said, “carrots are cheap.”  She paused for an instant and added, “Thank God!”

Paul squeezed her arms affectionately and they moved apart.  He sighed.  “They’re the most precious things in the world,” said he.

“The most precious things in the world are those which you can get for nothing,” said Jane.

“You’re a dear,” said he, “and a comfort.”

Presently he left her and returned to his weary round of the constituency, feeling of stouter heart, with a greater faith in the decent ordering of mundane things. .A world containing such women as Jane and Ursula Winwood possessed elements of sanity.  Outside one of the polling stations he found Barney Bill holding forth excitedly to a knot of working-men.  He ceased as the car drove up, and cast back a broad proud smile at the candidate’s warm greeting.

“I got up the old ’bus so nice and proper, with all your colours and posters, and it would have been a spectacular Diorama for these ’ere poor people; but you know for why I didn’t bring it out to-day, don’t you, sonny?”

“I know, dear old friend,” said Paul.

“I ’adn’t the ’cart to.”

“What were you speechifying about when I turned up?”

Barney Bill jerked a backward thumb.  “I was telling this pack of cowardly Radicals that though I’ve been a Tory born and bred for sixty odd years, and though I’ve voted for you, Silas Finn, for all he was in prison while most of them were sucking wickedness and Radicalism out of Nature’s founts, is just as good a man as what you are.  They was saying, yer see, they was Radicals, but on account of Silas being blown upon, they was going to vote for you.  So I tells ’em, I says, ’Mr. Savelli would scorn your dirty votes.  If yer feel low and Radical, vote Radical.  Mr. Savelli wants to play fair.  I know both of ’em,’ I says, ’both of ’em intimately.’  And they begins to laugh, as if I was talking through my hat.  Anyway, they see now I know you, sonny.”

Paul laughed and clapped the loyal old man on the shoulder.  Then he turned to the silent but interested group.  “Gentlemen,” said he, “I don’t want to inquire on which side you are; but you can take it from me that whatever my old friend Mr. Simmons says about Mr. Finn and myself is the absolute truth.  If you’re on Mr. Finn’s side in politics, in God’s name vote for him.  He’s a noble, high-souled man and I’m proud of his private friendship.”

He drew Barney Bill apart.  “You’re the only Tory in the place who can try to persuade people not to vote for me.  I wish you would keep on doing it.”

“I’ve been a-doing of it ever since the polls opened this morning,” said Barney Bill.  Then he cocked his head on one side and his little eyes twinkled:  “It’s an upside-down way of fighting an election to persuade people not to vote for you, isn’t it?”