Freckles considered the advisability of bursting forth and telling
him how much better it would be to stick with the reform fellows;
but just as the boy got his courage screwed up to speaking point,
Senator Stacy got off.

About ten minutes later Freckles had the elevator on the ground
floor, and was sitting there reading a paper, when he heard a step
that made him prick up his ears. The next minute Mr. Ludlow turned
the corner. He was immaculately dressed, as usual, and his iron-grey
moustache seemed to stand out just a little more pompously than
ever. There was a sneering look in his eyes as he stepped into the
car. It seemed to be saying: "They thought they could beat me, did
they? Oh, they're easy, they are!"

Freckles McGrath slammed the door of the cage and started the car
up. He did not know what he was going to do, but he had an idea that
he did not want any other passenger. When half way between the
basement and the first floor, he stopped the elevator. He must have
time to think. If he took that man up to the Senate Chamber, he
would simply strike the death-blow to reform! And so he knelt and
pretended to be fixing something, and he thought fast and hard.

"Something broke?" asked an anxious voice.

Freckles looked around into Mr. Ludlow's face, and he saw that the
eminent lobbyist was nervous.

"Yes," he said calmly. "It's acting queer. Something's all out of
whack."