The sun and the day had seemed to stop, now time itself paused, for the moment had come. The fanning delegates stiffened in their hard chairs and became silent. The heavy air hung heavier still with suspense. The sun, flaming in through the tall western windows of the old court room, fell upon the worn boards of the floor till they smoked faintly and seemed likely to ignite under the pitiless fire. Rankin stood in the very front, near the chairman's desk, his coat off, his hair curled close and shining with the perspiration that glistened on brow and face. He took his cigar from his lips and raised his big arm in its moist shirt sleeve, toward Bailey, who leaned wearily, almost sleepily, over the desk. Rankin's heavy voice broke the stillness. "Mr. Chairman!" he said, "I move the adoption of the report." Randolph meanwhile had arisen slowly, carefully, as if he feared any noise he made would mar the situation. "The gentleman--from Polk," drawled Bailey, as if the whole thing wearied him, "seconded--by the gentleman--from--ah--Tazewell, moves the adoption--of the--report. Aire you ready--for the--" "Mr. Chairman," said Randolph, heavily and deliberately, "Mr. Chairman," he repeated, knotting his brows under the mane that hung down to meet them. "The gentleman--from Moultrie," sighed Bailey. The delegates leaned forward, intent in their surprise that Bailey had even recognized the Sprague leader. "Mr. Speaker," said Randolph, "I mean Mr. Chairman, I move you, sir, as a substitute for the report of the committee just presented, the following resolution, which I ask the clerk to read." His use of the words "speaker" and "clerk" was to show the effect of legislative habit. Bailey only leaned a little farther over his desk, and then drawled: "The chair--will state--to the gentleman--from Moultrie that it is not now--in order----" Two or three men behind Randolph rose halfway to their feet, protest written in their faces, but without turning his head, or taking his eyes from the chairman, Randolph fluttered his hand at them behind his back and they subsided. It was plain from his manner that this was a play for position so delicate, that they must not risk disturbing it by interrupting their leader. So Bailey continued: "For the gentleman--to present--such a resolution." "But, Mr. Speaker," began Randolph. "The chair--will add--for the information--of the gentleman--from Moultrie," Bailey continued, "that--the only thing--in order--at this time--would be--a minority report--and a motion--to substitute it, or, again, a motion--to lay the report--on the table." "But, Mr. Chairman," once more began Randolph, stepping carefully into the aisle, "my resolution is in the very nature of a minority report. The chair will remember the ruling of Speaker Haines in the Thirty-fourth General Assembly--" He was taking higher ground by thus referring to mysteries known only to him and the chairman. But Bailey interrupted him.