At heart he was not all bad.
A madness had been on him. He, therefore, slept heavily from midnight
till morning on the eve of the election, and began the day with the smile
of one who abides the result with courage.
Several times he came upon Carnac in the streets, and they saluted
courteously; yet he saw the confidence of Carnac in his bearing. Twice
also he came upon Junia and he was startled by the look she gave him. It
was part of his punishment that Junia was the source of his undoing where
Luzanne was concerned. Junia knew about Luzanne; but if she condemned
him now, what would she think if she knew that Carnac was his own son!
"A devilish clever girl that," he said to himself. "If he wins, it'll be
due to her, and if he wins--no, he can't marry her, for he's already
married; but he'll owe it all to her. If he wins! . . . No, he shall
not win; I've been in the game too long; I've served too many interests;
I've played too big a part."
It was then he met his agent, who said: "They're making strong play
against us--the strongest since you began politics."
"Strong enough to put us in danger?" inquired Barouche. "You've been
at the game here for thirty years, and I'd like to know what you think--
quite honestly."
His agent was disturbed. "I think you're in danger; he has all your
gifts, and he's as clever as Old Nick besides. He's a man that'll make
things hum, if he gets in.
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