to Carter Flagg. Gertrude shamelessly listened in and got for her comforting what eaves-droppers are proverbially supposed to get—to wit, unpleasant hearing; the Union Government had ‘done nothing’ in the West.
“We looked at each other in dismay. If the Government had failed to carry the West, it was defeated.
“‘Canada is disgraced in the eyes of the world,’ said Gertrude bitterly.
“‘If everybody was like the Mark Crawfords over-harbour this would not have happened,’ groaned Susan. ‘They locked their Uncle up in the barn this morning and would not let him out until he promised to vote Union. That is what I call effective argument, Mrs. Dr. dear.’
“Gertrude and I couldn’t rest at all after that. We walked the floor until our legs gave out and we had to sit down perforce. Mother knitted away as steadily as clockwork and pretended to be calm and serene—pretended so well that we were all deceived and envious until next day, when I caught her ravelling out four inches of her sock. She had knit that far past where the heel should have begun!
“It was twelve before father came home. He stood in the doorway and looked at us and we looked at him. We did not dare ask him what the news was. Then he said that it was Laurier who had ‘done nothing’ in the West, and that the Union Government was in with a big majority. Gertrude clapped her hands. I wanted to laugh and cry, mother’s eyes flashed with their old-time starriness and Susan emitted a queer sound between a gasp and a whoop.
“‘This will not comfort the Kaiser much,’ she said.
