“Ah, my good friend, you have heard a great deal of our public deliberations from your place in the council; but now that we are consulting together, I must tell you that there are deeper secrets in the art of government, which you will readily apprehend. Suppose we arrested this individual and sent him away, the people would not see the justice of it. They want him now, and they would say that the forms of law were being used to get rid of him. Of course if his partizans became violent something of this kind would have to be done. But it is only a decree that seems just in the eyes of the people that we can prudently carry out in such a case without attracting even more attention to him than there is at present.” The clerk said nothing. The chief councillor went on: “I am sorry that our conference has come to so little. I was hoping that I might have found in you a successor to the vacant seat in the chamber. I know you have the ability to fill it well. But before the advancements are made some proof of the wisdom of the successor is required. Hitherto you have not had the chance, but I thought that in this difficult case, where you have so much better opportunities of observation than any one else has, you might have shown your mental power and confirmed my opinion of you. Still, no doubt, on some future occasion you will have another opportunity when this affair, difficult as it is, is forgotten.” The chief councillor made a sign that the interview was at an end, but the clerk remained. “All that we want,” the chief councillor resumed, “is to form an opinion from inside knowledge of whether this innovator is likely to cause more pain or more pleasure if he gains a hearing. Can you advise us? any particle of knowledge of his inner life, apart from his public professions, is valuable.” “There is a singular fact which I should like to tell you of, as it has been somewhat of a burden to me.” The chief councillor made a sign of assent, and the clerk told him about the child, and how it had been preserved. “And with this child,” he said, “he and I sit when the day’s work is done.” “It is indeed a strange story,” said the chief councillor; “you are quite right in telling me. I was sure you were one on whose discretion confidence might be placed. You have given me the highest proof I could have expected. The bearings of this matter must be thought over.” That evening, as the clerk entered the room where they lived, the student was leaning over the child with a wearied expression. He went up to him and laid his hand on his shoulder. The child looked up at them and laughed. It was quite happy despite the apparent struggles of its breathing. The student looked at his companion’s face. His weariness vanished at once, and a strong warm light came into his eyes.