

E-text prepared by Paul L'Allier, Suzanne Shell, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images
generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries
(https://archive.org/details/americana)



Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
      file which includes the original illustrations.
      See 48642-h.htm or 48642-h.zip:
      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/48642/48642-h/48642-h.htm)
      or
      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/48642/48642-h.zip)


      Images of the original pages are available through
      Internet Archive/American Libraries. See
      https://archive.org/details/servantofpublic00hope





A SERVANT OF THE PUBLIC


      *      *      *      *      *      *

BY THE SAME AUTHOR

  A MAN OF MARK
  MR. WITT'S WIDOW
  FATHER STAFFORD
  A CHANGE OF AIR
  HALF A HERO
  THE PRISONER OF ZENDA
  THE GOD IN THE CAR
  THE DOLLY DIALOGUES
  COMEDIES OF COURTSHIP
  THE CHRONICLES OF COUNT ANTONIO
  THE HEART OF PRINCESS OSRA
  PHROSO
  SIMON DALE
  RUPERT OF HENTZAU
  THE KING'S MIRROR
  QUISANTE

      *      *      *      *      *      *


[Illustration: "I SHOULD BE RATHER AFRAID NEVER TO CHANGE TO A PERSON.
IT WOULD MAKE HIM MEAN SO TERRIBLY MUCH TO ONE, WOULDN'T IT?" PAGE 62]


A SERVANT OF THE PUBLIC

by

ANTHONY HOPE

With Four Illustrations by Harold Percival, A.R.E.







Methuen & Co.
36 Essex Street W.C.
London

First Published in 1905




CONTENTS


  CHAPTER                                             PAGE

      I. MUDDOCK AND MEAD                                1

     II. FIRST IMPRESSIONS                              15

    III. AN ARRANGEMENT FOR SUNDAY                      29

     IV. BY WAY OF PRECAUTION                           43

      V. A DAY IN THE COUNTRY                           55

     VI. AWAY WITH THE RIBBONS!                         70

    VII. UNDER THE NOSEGAY                              86

   VIII. THE LEGITIMATE CLAIMANT                       102

     IX. RENUNCIATION: A DRAMA                         118

      X. THE LICENCE OF VIRTUE                         133

     XI. WHAT IS TRUTH?                                149

    XII. AT CLOSE QUARTERS                             164

   XIII. THE HEROINE FAILS                             179

    XIV. AS MR. FLINT SAID                             194

     XV. THE MAN UPSTAIRS                              210

    XVI. MORALITY SMILES                               227

   XVII. AT SEA AND IN PORT                            243

  XVIII. THE PLAY AND THE PART                         257

    XIX. COLLATERAL EFFECTS                            270

     XX. THE WAYS DIVIDE                               286

    XXI. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?                            301

   XXII. OTHER WORLDS                                  316

  XXIII. THE MOST NATURAL THING                        332

   XXIV. "A GOOD SIGHT"                                348




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS


                                                      PAGE
  "I SHOULD BE RATHER AFRAID NEVER TO CHANGE TO A
    PERSON. IT W