"He is. Let's see—well, now, first of all, you must know he's a great friend of your hubby's. Why, I thought he'd have told you! Oh, yes—great friends. They were in the ranks together. The men love him and would follow him anywhere. He's about six months senior to and a step higher than Mac. Did brilliantly in the revolt—seven—ten years ago. Since then he's just mounted steadily. It wasn't long before he'd got a district. And they've transferred him up up all the time. His coming here is really a promotion. Broncho's one of the best plums going. You'd think he was a god, the way people look at him."
"I'm not surprised," murmured Mrs. MacFarlane, under her breath. "Go on, dear."
"He's supposed to be a fearful martinet. Jim says he worships Duty and says his prayers to Discipline. They send all the tough nuts of the Force to him, and my dear, he cracks 'em. The extraordinary part of it, Jim says, is half of it's done by kindness. Imagine, my dear, kindness! But the other half—wow! You know, 'gentle persuasion first and, if that fails, the torture chamber.' Naturally, it seldom fails."
Mrs. MacFarlane asked the question which for five minutes had trembled, wings spread, on the tip of her tongue.
"Is he—married?"
"No," answered Mrs. Jackson promptly. "Nor even engaged. Curious, eh? Personally, I think there's something mysterious about him—desperate love affair in his youth, jilted or something. But Jim, who's known him twenty years, says positively 'No.' Never cared for women at any time, Jim says. But I've my own ideas—nothing to go on, of course—just guesswork. Certainly he hasn't a thought or glance for a woman now. Perfectly sweet but thinks only of his work. I don't believe the woman lives who can move him!"
"I—wonder," Mrs. MacFarlane said softly. Her eyes were shining. "You must introduce me."
The sports over, the usual prize-giving and speeches followed. The Lieutenant-Governor led off in 'short but happy vein.' Followed Mr. Steven Molyneux, M.P. for Broncho in the Dominion House.
His speech was clever, humourous, apt and obviously sincere.
Hector watched and listened to Mr. Molyneux with intense interest. Until that afternoon he had never met Molyneux. He saw and heard him now for the first time.