CHAPTER XI
HOW IT WAS LOBBIED FOR
The Hon. Pratt C. Gashwiler, M.C., was of course unaware of the
incident described in the last chapter. His secret, even if it had been
discovered by Dobbs, was safe in that gentleman's innocent and honorable
hands, and certainly was not of a quality that Mr. Wiles, at present,
would have cared to expose. For, in spite of Mr. Wiles's discomfiture,
he still had enough experience of character to know that the irate
member from Fresno would be satisfied with his own peculiar manner of
vindicating his own personal integrity, and would not make a public
scandal of it. Again, Wiles was convinced that Dobbs was equally
implicated with Gashwiler, and would be silent for his own sake. So that
poor Dobbs, as is too often the fate of simple but weak natures, had
full credit for duplicity by every rascal in the land.
From which it may be inferred that nothing occurred to disturb the
security of Gashwiler. When the door closed upon Mr. Wiles, he indited
a note which, with a costly but exceedingly distasteful
bouquet,--rearranged by his own fat fingers, and discord and incongruity
visible in every combination of color,--he sent off by a special
messenger.
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