``Was that what I meant, Mr. Hastings?'' said Charlton.

``The side that loses always shouts thief at the side that
wins,'' said the old man indifferently. ``I don't take any
interest in politics.''

``Why should you?'' said the Doctor audaciously. ``You own both
sides. So, it's heads you win, tails I lose.''

Hastings laughed heartily. ``Them political fellows are a lot of
blackmailers,'' said he.

``That's ungrateful,'' said Charlton. ``Still, I don't blame you
for liking the Davy Hull crowd better. From them you can get
what you want just the same, only you don't have to pay for it.''

He rose and stretched his big frame, with a disregard of
conventional good manners so unconscious that it was inoffensive.

But Charlton had a code of manners of his own, and somehow it
seemed to suit him where the conventional code would have made
him seem cheap. ``I didn't mean to look after your political
welfare, too,'' said he. ``But I'll make no charge for that.''

``Oh, I like to hear you young fellows talk,'' said Martin.
``You'll sing a different song when you're as old as I am and
have found out what a lot of damn fools the human race is.''

``As I told you before,'' said Charlton, ``it's conditions that
make the human animal whatever it is. It's in the harness of