"
"Don't you and Mr. Fenton agree?" the hostess asked. "I supposed you
were one of his admirers or you wouldn't have had him paint your
portrait."
"I admire his works more than I do him," Irons answered, adding with
clumsy jocularity "I am waiting for offers from the friends of
candidates."
"I am interested in young Stanton," Mr. Greenfield said; "I might make
you an offer."
"Oh, to oblige you," the other responded, "I will consent to support
him without money and without price."
The talk meant little to any one save the hostess and Irons, but they
both felt that this move in their game, slight as it seemed, was both
well made and important. Later in the evening Irons took occasion to
assure Greenfield that he would really support Stanton in the
committee, adding that with the vote of Calvin this would settle the
matter. When a few days later Irons asked the decision of Greenfield in
regard to the railroad matter, he found that the attitude of the
chairman of the committee was satisfactory. And honest Tom Greenfield
had the satisfaction of believing that he had been instrumental in
furthering the interests of Orin Stanton, in whose success he felt the
pride common to people in a country district when a genius has appeared
among them and secured recognition from the outside world sufficient to
assure them that they are not mistaken in their admiration.
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