before him. Another says, he has made up his mind never to vote for two out of one family. A third thought the request unreasonable, as the electors, if they did vote, as a matter of course, for Lord Haviland, always had the privilege of choosing their own man for the second member. Thus, you see, the Daventry interest is more apparent than real. Now, as to old Jackson, independently of his having given himself great airs since he set up gentleman, the county wouldn't choose to be represented by such a fellow as he; there are many in P who remember the time when he wore a smock. Besides, the freeholders are not numerous, and are mostly respectable, and, to a certain degree, independent yeomen, among whom his money will have less influence than it would in almost any other place. Therefore, according to my calculation, the Colonel will be supported chiefly by the clergy and small gentry, who wish to curry favour with my lord. Jackson will be able to purchase all the tag-rag and bob-tail; so that the kernel of the county is left for you; though, if neither you nor any other gentleman with similar pretensions offers, I am sure that they'll rather suffer the old waggoner to be the member, than let Lord Daventry's son in."

"But am I not rather late ?" said I.

"Not much," said Nicholls; "nothing to signify, I hope. To tell you thetruth, I have been endeavouring, as far as my limited power would permit, to keep the field open for you, ever since I heard of Mr. Sotheby's illness. I have sounded a good many of the gentlemen and head-farmers about here-not that I ever committed you in the least-no, no. I only said, as if from myself, that I wished Sir Matthew would stand, as I was sure he'd just hit the nail on the head; and then I puffed you very strong. Your name seemed to please them very much."

"Well," said I, "what shall I do? Had I better canvass a little before I advertise?"

"I was going to make a proposal," returned my counsellor. "I know some of the gentry, and several substantial farmers, who would give their support to any independent candidate, in preference either to Haviland or Jackson. Now, if you will give me permission to intimate to them that you might be induced to stand, I will engage that, in less than forty-eight hours, a deputation shall come here to invite you.”

"You are the prince of agents," said I; "the plan appears to me an excellent one: but am I acquainted with any of the people you have in your eye, as likely to form this deputation ?"

"O yes; there's Sir Michael Hanbury, who, I think, will head it; then there's Mr. Brixton, of the paper-mill; besides Cottle and Lewis, two of the greatest farmers in the county, with about eighteen or twenty more. I shall set off early to

morrow, that I may be with Sir Michael the first thing. Having settled with him, I shall proceed to call on Lewis, Cottle, and the others, in succession; and as they all live within a compass of thirty miles, I think I shall have arranged with the last of them before nightfall, that he is to attend the meeting at P, at eleven o'clock the following morning; so that we shall have them up here before dinner time on that day."

"But why do you make Sir Michael Hanbury my chief patron? he is a silly old fellow, you know, of no rank among the county people; I should think his conspicuous support would rather injure us than otherwise."

"You entirely mistake, Sir Matthew," replied my agent.— "I tell you what it is: if you had to choose out of a thousand, you could not select a more eligible supporter, under the circumstances, than Sir Michael Hanbury; and I'll tell you why. The county is at present divided, you must recollect, between three parties: the clergy, together with many of the gentry; the gentlemen farmers, and substantial yeomen; the mob. The second must beat the other two acting separately; these are your obvious friends. By the Haviland faction, Sir Michael is, on the whole, despised; but the very qualities which make him contemptible in their eyes, endear him to our people. His plain manners, unassuming demeanour, kindness of heart, and agricultural pursuits, render him the darling of the farmers and yeomen; besides, his indulgence as a landlord, a manor-proprietor, and a magistrate, would, I think, seduce many of Jackson's raff. If he were to stand himself, in the present state of affairs, he would certainly come in; but that is an ambition he never dreams of. To engage his interest, therefore, is half the battle."

"Had I not better call on Sir Michael myself, or send him some private token through you?"

"No, no, that would never do; it would not be safe to trust him with a token, because he would most likely be blabbing it; and the country people, who at these times, always think that their betters are entertaining designs of humbugging them, if they knew that Sir Michael, from a private arrangement between you and himself, was getting up a deputation to invite you to stand, their sagacious noses would immediately smell a job, or something wrong, and they would perhaps start away and be as wrongheaded and impracticable as so many donkeys. An Englishman loves straight-forward doings; and it would be highly dangerous to attempt steering against the tide of his prejudice. Besides, Sir Michael himself must imagine that the idea of our standing originates with himself; for, if he acts upon the suggestion of another, he will not exert himself with half the zeal that he would display in carrying on a project of his own. I shall endeavour to persuade him that it is in his

power to emancipate the county from the tyranny of the Havilands, and to protect it from the degradation of such a representative as Jackson. This will require some management, which I am best fitted to undertake, because I know my man.' "Very well; but now, about politics, Nicholls; what are we to say about them?"

"O, that's easily settled; hereabouts they are not very violent either one way or the other; we must not approach the two extremes of Toryism or Radicalism, but we have all the intervening space; and I'll take care that the address of the deputation gives you plenty of room."

"But how can you interfere with their address ?"

"O leave me to manage that, Sir Matthew?"

"But I cannot conceive how."

"Well, I'll tell you," answered Mr. Nicholls. "The address of the deputation to you is already written and in my pocket-book. When, in conversation with Sir Michael, I have got the idea of our standing fairly started, as if by himself, I shall advert to the form in which the county will express their sentiments by his mouth. A discussion on this point will ensue, and then, by occasional suggestions imperceptibly thrown out, I shall contrive to infuse the spirit of my address into the mind of the old gentleman. Having done this, the rest is easy; I shall sit down, take a sheet of paper, and write my former composition, which I have got by rote, and hand to him, just observing that it was as well to write down his sentiments before they escaped our recollection. This he will move, and of course carry on the following day at the meeting. At the same time, I can just sketch in the same manner a short speech for him to introduce it with."

"Upon my honour, you are a clever fellow. At the same time, if you have not a decided impression that, under these circumstances, my success will be certain, I would not stand, as I have not the least disposition to undertake the patriotic or rather quixotic enterprise of rescuing the county from the tyranny of the Havilands, or defending it from the blackguardism of Jackson."

"O, we know all that!" said my agent impatiently; "they are our show-motives only, which every man must put on over his real ones. Let us once get in, and the devil or the Havilands may have the county afterwards. With these views, I have prepared the advertisement, in order that we may send it off by express immediately after the deputation has left the house."

Accordingly, Mr. Nicholls drew forth a huge pocket-book, from one of the voluminous wrappings of which he extracted two papers.

"This," cried he, handing me one of the documents," this

VOL. II

2

is the address of the deputation; see whether you approve of it. That," laying the other paper on the table, "is the advertisement; I have drawn it up with care, and I think it will satisfy you."

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The address of the deputation will appear hereafter..
The public advertisement was as follows:

"TO THE INDEPENDENT ELECTORS OF THE COUNTY OF S

GENTLEMEN,

"A highly respectable deputation of your county having done me the honour to desire that I should become a candidate for the vacancy in your representation, occasioned by the death of Mr. Sotheby, I am induced to solicit your support at the approaching election.

"I trust you will believe that no depraved ambition has tempted me to quit the retirement of a private station to seek the high distinction to which I venture to direct my hopes. Although I pretend not to be indifferent to the importance which attaches to your representative, I should not have presumed to offer myself to your notice, had I not been informed that I might become the humble instrument of interposing between a fatal blow which was aimed at the independence of your county. To deliver you from tyranny and insolence, which, as a freeholder of S- -shire, and one deeply interested in its welfare, I have long beheld it subjected to with indignation, is a task which I shall undertake with the liveliest zeal; and `which, if I am permitted by your assistance to accomplish, I shall always revert to with pride and gratification. The Haviland family have long oppressed the county like a nightmare. They have abused your confidence whenever they have received it, by dedicating the advantages which they derive from your representation, to their own private aggrandizement. They have uniformly supported all, and originated not a few measures to oppress the poor; and are noted as the most staunch and shameless supporters of Ministerial profligacy. Not content with what they already possess, their inordinate ambition, or rather avarice, for they are not actuated by so respectable a motive as the former,-urges them to the audacious attempt of sacrificing your independence altogether, by reducing you to the degraded situation of a close borough. It is now in your power successfully to repel this insult; and I feel confident that you will not neglect the opportunity of putting a period to the hereditary tyranny under which you have laboured.

"In me you will find a candidate, who, however unworthy in other respects, can, at least, boast of integrity, and a steady attachment to your interests. I shall not go into the House of Commons bigoted to any opinions, but shall give up the best endeavours of a mind free from prejudice, to pursue that line of conduct which I think most conducive to the public good.

"I have thus briefly stated the reasons which have induced me to offer myself to your notice, and which render me sanguine of success. To the other candidate who is already in the field, I have not alluded, being unacquainted with the claims or pretensions which he has to advance for the honour of being your representative.

"I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen,

"Your most faithful friend,

"And devoted humble servant,

"Sydenham Park, September 22nd."

"MATTHEW SYDENHAM.

"I think this will do very well," said I, as I returned the paper to my agent.

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It is rather long," replied Nicholls, "but I'm afraid we cannot conveniently cut it down; however, we have time enough to talk of that. I'm sure you'll succeed—I am, indeed; but even if any unforeseen accident should occur, you can, at a week's warning, come in for P by merely sending a note to Mr. Langley, apprizing him that you want your seat; and requesting that he will be so kind as to ask for the Chiltern Hundreds."

CHAPTER III.

By the next post I wrote to Spencer, who was still in London, and requested him to come immediately to Sydenham to assist me in my election. During the rest of the day I was employed preparing letters to be despatched immediately my name was publicly announced as a candidate for the county.

A little before midnight, Nicholls returned spattered up to the eyes.

"Well," cried I as he entered the room," what news?". "I have had a hard and a good day's work," returned my admirable agent, as he sat down and wiped his brow.

"Sir Michael and the other men have consented then, have they?"

"They have; the old Baronet caught at my plan immediately, and is quite enthusiastic about the business; so I got him to give me a bit of paper written with his own hand, to take with me by way of credential to the other freeholders. The rest therefore consented with alacrity to come forward. I scattered the news all along the road as I went, and now it is spreading like wildfire. When I came to P- it had just arrived there, and I was immediately surrounded by people anxiously clamouring to know whether the report was well-founded; and