A DELEGATE OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE 21 



the passers-by ; and the evening shadows of the trees 

 flicker in their aecustomed way over sanguinary 

 paragraphs and daring editorial utterances. Stranger 

 still, tlie shadows of some other trees fall day after 

 day on the gi'azier's cattle taking their noonday 

 shelter, or roving through them from bracken to 

 pasture; and the excommunicated grass is cropped 

 iri peace, and the Damocles sword, which presumably 

 menaces each grazing head, hangs impalpable in the 

 ether, neither descendiiig with mutilations of the 

 customary sort, nor in any way hindering the credit- 

 able sleekness of the herd at the October fair. 



The hidden connections of these things are not 

 easily arrived at — perhaps, indeed, of all concerned, 

 the cattle alone knew clearly their own minds and 

 motives, but, looking now at the Delegate, the mystery 

 of unconscious personal influence seems to unfold 

 itself, the secret of the strength which, whether un- 

 certain of motive or not, could draw to itself without 

 an effort many blinder intelligences. It is not hard 

 to believe that his convictions would be a vigorous 

 offspring, courageous in their grasp of things, in the 

 light of whose guidance his neighbours and friends 

 would walk with an accustomed faith; and the 

 realisation follows of the stout -heart edness which 

 could, in the most public way possible for it, dishonour 

 its own intellect, and leave its convictions unfathered 

 and disbanded in the sight of all men. 



His spiritual adviser has fastened round his throat 

 something resembling a black choker — a religious 

 symbol of some kind, no doubt; a confession of 

 helplessness quite out of keeping with the face above, 

 which gives no hint that death had been too great 

 a thing for it. Thus for two days he lies there, still 

 in the position of host and central attraction of the 

 crowd that nightly fills his house, perhaps lying there 



