"Mr. Harkless is sure to be elected, is he?"

"He is, if he's nominated."

"Can't he get the nomination?"

"Get it! Nobody ever happened to think of him for it till it came into
_her_ head; and the only thing I look to see standing in the way of it is
Harkless himself; but I expect we can leave it to her to manage, and I
guess she will. She's got more diplomacy than Blaine. Kedge Halloway is up
the spout all right, but they want to keep it quiet; that's why she had
them come here instead of the office."

"She wouldn't marry him a minute sooner because he went to Congress," said
Minnie thoughtfully.

"You're giving up," he exclaimed. "You know I'm right."

"Wait and see. It might--No, you're wrong as wrong can be! I wish you
weren't. Don't you see? You're blind. She _couldn't_ do all these things
for him if she loved him. That's the very proof itself. I suppose you--
well, you can't understand."

"I'll tell you one thing," he returned. "If she doesn't, the rest of it
won't amount to a rip with John Harkless."

"Yes, it will. Nobody could help liking to find himself as big a man as
he'll be when he comes back here. Besides, don't you see, it's her way of
making it up to him for not liking him as much as he wants. _You_ give up,