“I am glad that I have been called on to pay for what I wasted,” declared Bristol.  “And I am not sorry, Mr. Converse, that my folly led me out into the byways of this world.  I’ll know how to appreciate the rest of life more highly.”

“Needs a hot fire to make good steel—­that’s so,” agreed his mentor.  “And speaking of fire—­I reckon we’re going to find it almighty hot when we get back to the place where we’re expected.  Now that we’re leaving affairs all serene behind us, you must let me do a little careful thinking about how to meet the situation that’s ahead of us.”

Archer Converse reappeared in his home city as unobtrusively as he had left it and he held the polished shield of his urbane reserve over any vulnerable points which darts of questions might attack.

Mr. Breed, assuring himself that he had certain personal rights in the matter, came with a veritable lance of interrogation, and thrust tirelessly.

“It is the custom when a man has been nominated never to close an eye or leave the job for a minute.  You have broke over all rules and I have been doing my best to fix up a story to account for it,” stated Mr. Breed.

“Thank you,” returned Mr. Converse.  “No doubt you have done a very good job.”

“I done the best I could without knowing what I was talking about.”

“And the general comment—­the run of talk was—­what?”

“General talk was that you didn’t seem to be worrying much about the election.”

Mr. Converse turned a benignant smile on his new law partner.

“It’s generally conceded, then, that I feel sure of being elected?”

“Why, they think you wouldn’t have skyhooted off unless you were confident.”

“Exactly!  That attitude of mine takes care of the band-wagon crowd.  They have climbed aboard, I’m told.”

“Yes,” admitted Mr. Breed.  “But the state committee has taken advantage and has laid down on ye!”

“Breed, you run along and tell the chairman of that committee—­from me—­that unless he gets busy with his crowd in every county of this state inside of twenty-four hours I’ll come out with a public statement that I have been forced to run my own campaign in behalf of the people.  You don’t think there’d be any doubt about my election after that statement, do you?”

“Not a bit,” confessed Mr. Breed.  “You’re more of a politician than I had any idea of.  Excuse me for any other kind of remarks.  I’ll go shoot a little hot lead in that chairman’s left ear.”

“Ordinary intelligence and common honesty,” commented the Honorable Archer Converse when Mr. Breed had departed.  “They are such new elements in running politics in this state that they seem to the crowd to be a brand-new variety of political astuteness, Thornton!  I’m not going to be quite as frank and honest in some other statements I’m about to make, under the circumstances.  I don’t believe my conscience is going to trouble me a bit.  We’ll go over, if you please, and have a word or two with Colonel Symonds Dodd.”