"My dear sir," Paul laughed, seating himself in his writing chair, which he twisted away from the table, "Jane and I are too old friends for that. In her heart I know she wishes me luck. And I hope you do too, Mr. Finn," he added pleasantly--"although I know you're on the other side." "I'm afraid my principles will not allow me to wish you luck in this election, Mr. Savelli." "Well, well," said Paul. "It doesn't matter. If you vote against me I'll not bear malice." "I am not going to vote against you, Mr. Savelli," said Mr. Finn, looking at him with melancholy eyes. "I am going to stand against you." Paul sprang forward in his chair. Here was fantastic news indeed! "Stand against me? You? You're the Radical candidate?" "Yes." Paul laughed boyishly. "Why, it's capital! I'm awfully glad." "I was asked this morning," said Mr. Finn gravely. "I prayed God for guidance. He answered, and I felt it my duty to come to you at once, with our two friends." Barney Bill cocked his head on one side. "I did my best to persuade him not to, sonny." "But why shouldn't he?" cried Paul courteously--though why he should puzzled him exceedingly. "It's very good of you, Mr. Finn. I'm sure your side," he went on, "could not have chosen a better man. You're well known in the constituency--I am jolly lucky to have a man like you as an opponent." "Mr. Savelli," said Mr. Finn, "it was precisely so that we should not be opponents that I have taken this unusual step." "I don't quite understand," said Paul. "Mr. Finn wants you to retire in favour of some other Conservative candidate," said Jane calmly. "Retire? I retire?" Paul looked at her, then at Barney Bill, who nodded his white head, then at Mr. Finn, whose deep eyes met his with a curious tragical mournfulness. The proposal took his breath away. It was crazily preposterous. But for their long faces he would have burst into laughter. "Why on earth do you want me to retire?" he asked good-humouredly. "I will tell you," said Mr. Finn. "Because you will have God against you." Paul saw a gleam of light in the dark mystery of the visit. "You may believe it, Mr. Finn, but I don't. I believe that my war cry, 'God for England, Savelli and Saint George,' is quite as acceptable to, the Almighty as yours." Mr. Finn stretched out two hands in earnest deprecation. "Forgive me if I say it; but you don't know what you're talking about. God has not revealed Himself to you. He has to me. When my fellow-citizens asked me to stand as the Liberal candidate, I thought it was because they knew me to be an upright man, who had worked hard on their council, an active apostle in the cause of religion, temperance and the suppression of vice. I thought I had merely deserved well in their opinion. When I fell on my knees and prayed the glory of the Lord spread about me and I knew that they had been divinely inspired. It was revealed to me that this was a Divine Call to represent the Truth in the Parliament of the nation."