say as mayor--it will go hard with her. What's that now?"

They listened breathlessly. Above the brawling of the river, the
twanging of the harp-player, and the receding shouts of the revelers,
they could hear the hollow wooden sidewalks resounding with the dull,
monotonous trampling of closely following feet. Parks rose with a white
face.

"Brace!"

"Yes!"

"Will you stand by me--and HER?"

"Stand by YOU AND HER? Eh? What? Good God! Parks!--you don't mean to say
you--it's gone as far as THAT?"

"Will you or won't you?"

The sound of the trampling had changed to a shuffling on the pavement
below, and then footsteps began to ascend the stairs.

Brace held out his hand quickly and grasped that of Parks as the door
opened to half a dozen men. They were evidently the ringleaders of
the crowd below. There was no hesitation or doubt in their manner;
the unswerving directness which always characterized those illegal
demonstrations lent it something of dignity. Nevertheless, Carpenter,
the spokesman, flushed slightly before Parks' white, determined face.

"Come, Parks, you know what we're after," he said bluntly. "We didn't