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As yet they had been disappointed in this; but almost simultaneously with this disappointment they were surprised by a valuable and unexpected assistance, growing out of the open feuds, the covert malice, the bad blood, the partisanship, and the wire-pulling introduced by the loyal political fraternity into campaigning business.
The state legislature at this time was ruled over by a small group of wire-pulling, pettifogging, corporation-controlled individuals who came up from the respective towns, counties, and cities of the state, but who bore the same relation to the communities which they represented and to their superiors and equals in and out of the legislative halls at Springfield that men do to such allies anywhere in any given field.
Curio found him plenty to do; wire-pulling, speech-making, private bargaining, all these were rife, for everybody knew that with the first of January, when Lentulus became consul, the fortunes of Cæsar were to be made or marred irretrievably. There were rumours, always rumours, now of Cæsar, now of Pompeius. The proconsul was going to march on Rome at once, and put all his enemies to the sword.
He treated them as negligible. It was left for the Alexandrians, for Alexander, for little, red-haired, busy, wire-pulling Athanasius to find out exactly what their Master was driving at, three centuries after their Master was dead. . . . Men still sit at little desks remote from God or life, and rack their inadequate brains to meet fancied difficulties and state unnecessary perfections.
To be welcomed here, after the usual fretful dangling and wire-pulling in War Office anterooms and city hotels with hills and ruined castles to walk to, a brook rippling under one's bedroom window, and all the time in the world seemed idyllic enough.
Barradine had always borne a good heart to her and hers. "Capital!" said Mr. Ridgett, visibly brightening. "A friend at court what's the proverb? It's not for me to let fall any remarks about wire-pulling. But naturally there's a freemasonry among the bigwigs. You take my tip, and use Mr. Barradine's interest for all it's worth."
She was southern born, the only child of a somewhat ill-considered match between a young California lawyer, wire-pulling in the national capital in the interest of the Central Pacific Railroad, and a Virginia belle tasting the delights of her first winter in Washington.
The next day James engaged his passage, sent a long cable to Adolph, and performed prodigies of work at the office. By means of some wire-pulling he and Mac succeeded in securing a cabin together on the next American liner out. Meanwhile, Mary began her campaign. At breakfast she expounded her plans to Miss Mason, who had received the news overnight.
At the appointed time she passed through the iron doors of the Sanctum Regnum. "Fear not!" said Albert Pike, and she advanced remplie d'une ardente allegresse, was greeted by the eleven prime chiefs, who presently retired, possibly for prayer or refreshments, possibly for operations in wire-pulling.
She took time to reflect that it was useless to feel annoyed at anything he might say, and when she formed her answer it was in the spirit of meeting him in his own vein. "What makes you think I ever had the chance?" "Because I gave it to you myself." "You, Mr. van Tromp?" "Yes; me. I did all that wire-pulling when you first came to New York; and I did it just so that you might catch him." "Oh?"
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