harder task. It is difficult properly to praise his qualities, but
it is more difficult to replace them. Upon you, comrades, it
devolves this evening to choose out of the company present the man
who shall be Thursday. If any comrade suggests a name I will put
it to the vote. If no comrade suggests a name, I can only tell
myself that that dear dynamiter, who is gone from us, has carried
into the unknowable abysses the last secret of his virtue and his
innocence."

There was a stir of almost inaudible applause, such as is sometimes
heard in church. Then a large old man, with a long and venerable
white beard, perhaps the only real working-man present, rose
lumberingly and said--

"I move that Comrade Gregory be elected Thursday," and sat
lumberingly down again.

"Does anyone second?" asked the chairman.

A little man with a velvet coat and pointed beard seconded.

"Before I put the matter to the vote," said the chairman, "I will
call on Comrade Gregory to make a statement."

Gregory rose amid a great rumble of applause. His face was deadly
pale, so that by contrast his queer red hair looked almost scarlet.
But he was smiling and altogether at ease. He had made up his mind,
and he saw his best policy quite plain in front of him like a white
road. His best chance was to make a softened and ambiguous speech,
such as would leave on the detective's mind the impression that the