"
Dead silence reigned.
Peter puffed his cigar.
"You'll go back on the party?" finally said one, in awe-struck tones.
"You'll be a traitor?" cried another.
"I'd have believed anything but that you would be a dashed Mugwump!"
groaned the third.
Peter puffed his cigar.
"Say you are fooling?" begged Number Seven.
"No," said Peter, "Nor am I more a traitor to my party than you. You
insist on supporting the Labor candidate and I shall support the
Republican candidate. We are both breaking our party."
"We'll win," said Number One.
Peter puffed his cigar.
"I'm not so sure," said the gentleman of the previous questions. "How
many votes can you hurt us, Stirling?"
"I don't know," Peter looked very contented.
"You can't expect to beat us single?"
Peter smiled quietly. "I haven't had time to see many men. But--I'm not
single. Bohlmann says the brewers will back me, Hummel says he'll be
guided by me, and the President won't interfere."
"You might as well give up," continued the previous questioner.
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