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dinary compliment, and meandered into gallantry and courtship. But in succeeding to my poor brother's fortune, I had, somehow or other, acquired a share of his habitual circumspection and restraint; and, to my own astonishment, I did not feel myself inclined to indulge in my former practice of talking amatory nonsense. When a man becomes fully aware that the words which he may utter in jest are likely to be construed into solemn earnest, he needs not the exhortation of Solomon to bridle and control his tongue.

"There was no heartlessness in this, for I really had no attachment. Men fall in love readily enough when they have nothing else to think of, and when the act itself is one of gross imprudence: but when, by some unexpected turn of fortune, they find themselves able to marry, and are actually willing to do so, the chances are that they cannot get up an attachment. A poor fellow, who earns no more than a couple of pounds in the week, is as inflammable as tinder. Give him a few thousands, and he becomes insensible as asbestos. You seem to differ from that opinion-ah, well! I wish I could convince myself that I am in the wrong. But both of you are fortunate, because you have loved well and truly, from impulse and sympathy, without the dreary necessity to which I then was reduced, of having to force love if I wished to partake of its fruition. Happy rogues! You are exempted from attaining to the last grand lesson of philosophy, which is this-that the WILL of man has no power whatsoever over the affections, but is a tyrant against whose authority they rebel!

"Wearied with a London life, and being thoroughly convinced that what I sought for was not to be found in the whirl of ceaseless gaiety, I went abroad, taking with me neither courier nor valet. Here, you know, it is incumbent upon a man to maintain some sort of

establishment corresponding to his means; but on the Continent he is entitled to enjoy his freedom; and even at the present time it is my habit to recreate myself, for a month or so, precisely as I used to do when I was a younger brother, and found it necessary to calculate my bills. Paris, in early spring, is truly delectable; but after that is over, give me the sauntering kind of life that a man can lead on the Rhine, or in some of the funny minor capitals of Germany.

"Well, I took up my residence at Weimar; and there I made the acquaintance of an English lady, a Mrs Lindsay, widow of a general officer, who was compelled for reasons of economy to reside abroad. She had one daughter, a very charming girl, who had been brought up, under her mother's eye, in the country, and whose mind was purity itself. I am not about to rhapsodise-indeed it is almost painful to me now to recall the memory of the few happy weeks, probably the happiest of my life, that I spent at Weimar. I became very intimate with the Lindsays; read poetry and sketched with Eleanor; and, in short, almost before I knew it, fell seriously in love. That girl exercised over me an influence different from any that I had known before. I felt subdued, if not timid, in her presence. I could not have addressed her in the language of compliment or gallantry; for, like Una, she was so divinely fair, and so spiritually simple, that artifice was abhorrent to her nature, and to deviate from truth in her presence was little short of desecration.

"I shall cut my story short. Presumptuous fool that I was! I thought I had gained Miss Lindsay's affections-alas! I had only acquired her esteem! That I learned from her mother, whose sharper sight had detected my attachment, and whose kindly heart prompted her to make the disclosure in order to spare me the pangs

of disappointment. Eleanor was already engaged to a young clergyman, a relative of her own, who held a small curacy in the north of England, and whose straightened circumstances had hitherto delayed the marriage. Thank heaven! that obstacle was soon afterwards removed.

"That was my last serious matrimonial attempt. It seemed as if fate had predestined that, whether poor or rich, I should be denied the blessings of domestic happiness; so

I have striven to conform to what I believe to be my lot, and have almost made up my mind to be interred as the last of the Lumleys. But a pest upon this egotistical folly! Here have I, instead of playing the part of a courteous and entertaining host, been seduced into a long-winded confession of my failures and defeats, for which, your patience being exhausted, I have no title whatever to expect, as I certainly shall not crave, your sympathy."

CHAPTER LVII.-A POLITICAL CRISIS.

The professional sagacity of Mr Poins had led him to a just conclusion. No sooner was Dobigging apprehended and safely lodged in jail, than Speedwell intimated his readiness, on certain conditions, to bear testimony against his quondam confederate; and, through his information, the person who had engraved the plate which Flusher refused to execute was traced out. This man at once acknowledged that he had received the commission from the secretary, and produced a draught in his handwriting; so that the evidence as to the forgery was complete, and Ewins was absolved from the severe ordeal of undergoing an examination in court.

I never saw a man more elated than was my Yankee acquaintance when I communicated the intelligence of his escape. His dread of exposure was less on account of the injury to his character as a man of probity and honour-qualities which, to do him justice, he did not profess to claim in any remarkable degree-than from a consciousness that he could not escape the imputation of having been thorough ly outwitted by the Jew. I have heard it said that, in a trial of dexterity between Jew and Jesuit, the former invariably has the worse; but Ewins, in the plenitude of his conceit, had regarded himself as more than a match for Ignatius Loyola, and, therefore, a fortiori, able to dis

comfit the sharpest of the children of the captivity. It would have been a foul blot upon his scutcheon if the news of such a palpable "sell" had reached the jobbers of the Broadway.

"It's up stakes with me now, Squire," said Ewins. "Next month sees me on the other side of the Atlantic, and darn my old mocassins if I'll be in a hurry to cross the salt water again! The spekilation ha'n't turned out just so good as I expected, but it might have been worse; anyhow, it's a comfort to walk off without a winkle-hawk in one's character for 'cuteness. I guess if I had been spotted here, they'd have thought me small potatoes in the States. Wall-it's a true saying, that a man is never too old to learn; for, since I came to London, I've had it punched into me that it's jest possible that the Columbian 'coon may be circumvented. So I'll steam back to the old location, make friends of the soft-shell hunkers, and mayhap get put up for President."

"Upon my word, Mr Ewins," said I, "you quite awe me by the extent of your ambition."

"That's because you believe in the bunkum of a rotten aristocracy," replied Ewins. "What was Jefferson? what was Adams? I guess, by your own rule, they hadn't the blood of Macbeth within their veins; and though my father sold wooden nutmegs, and my grandfather was a

lumberer, I don't see why I shouldn't take post in the Almanac with any crowned head in this owdacious old Europe! Darn me, but I'd do my best to bring your confounded redtape Foreign Office to its marrowbones!"

"Allow me to remind you, my friend, that such anticipations are premature, and, indeed, rather indiscreet, considering that you have not yet received official intimation that your presence can be dispensed with at the trial."

"Drop your shooting-iron, Squire! You won't skear this bear by burning priming. I'm as safe now as if I was at the Salt Licks. There's no two ways about it; and I don't need a yellow cover to notify my dismissal. Rum-ti-iddity! I'm so awfully happy that I could cut didoes on a warming-pan! I say, Squire, let's go and liquor!"

I yielded to his instance, for I had a melancholy foreboding that this was to be my last interview with the representative of the Maormors of Clackmannan; and in effect he disappeared from London on the following morning, carrying with him such spoil as he could extract from the Egyptians of the Stock Exchange. How far he has since advanced in the path of political ambition, I know not; but, if true to himself, there seems no reason for supposing that he may not attain to the very highest dignity. If any reader should doubt the possibility of this, I beg to refer him to Mr James Parton's Life of the late President Andrew Jackson.

Time was beginning to hang rather heavily on my hands, when I was startled by news that convulsed London, and threw the provinces into a ferment. THE MINISTRY WAS DEFEATED! A large section of the Conservative party, indignant at a change of policy, which they considered tantamount to a dereliction of principle, had cast off their allegiance to their former leader; and by uniting their strength to that of the Opposition upon a question of some importance, were

able to place Ministers in a minority. The defeat was so signal that resignation was the necessary consequence.

Tremendous was the excitement at the clubs, into which honourable members and political aspirants rushed frantically to possess themselves of the last morsel of intelligence, and to learn who had been sent for. Dolorous were the faces of the men who had to go out, and radiant and joyous the countenances of those who expected to come in. The Whigs, elated by their goodluck and the prospect of quarterday, were as playful as kittens, and poked one another's ribs with shouts of jovial hilarity. The Radicals did not share in their mirth, but held aloof, making no sign-not because they objected to a change, but because they were resolved, before pledging their support, to drive an unconscionable bargain. Here and there might be observed a few patriotic martyrs, not looking, however, as if they greatly coveted the crown; and amongst these I descried, to my infinite delight, Sir George Smoothly, whose aspect could not have been more lugubrious had he been under sentence to stand in the pillory. I hope I am not vindictive, but I must confess that I relished the spectacle intensely. A good man labouring under misfortune commands our sympathy and respect: we have no such genial feelings to expend on the baffled rogue and sycophant.

But there was one prospect which even the Whigs, who were most likely to benefit by the crisis, could not contemplate without a shudder, and that was a speedy dissolution of Parliament. I do not suppose that any class of men in the kingdom, beyond agents and publicans, regard a general election with favour. It unsettles the minds of all, dislocates trade, awakens slumbering animosities, and is peculiarly injurious to the working classes, because it tends to a cessation of steady labour. It is, while it lasts, like a fever, affecting the whole body

politic, and it is followed by the usual stages of lassitude and depression. But in especial to members of Parliament is a general election odious; for not only have they to endure the toil, trouble, fatigue, and anxiety which are the burdens common to all candidates for the public suffrage, but they must affect a generosity, even if they have it not, and reconcile themselves to that most distressing of all exigencies, a heavy drain upon the purse. Moreover, for them there is no such thing as a purely winning game, for they may chance to lose both their seats and their money; whereas, in the most favourable event, they will have to deplore a diminution of their balance with the bankers.

Poor little Popham, whose existence I have noticed more than once, went about almost crying. He had crept in by accident, as second member for a borough, under the wing of a generous colleague, who had defrayed the whole of the expense; and he was on the eve of obtaining a small appointment, suitable to his small capacity, when this horrid bouleversement occurred. He had little or no fortune-his patron could not be expected again to carry him into Parliament on his shoulders; and even could he procure readmission, of what avail would be his life, if doomed to wither in the cold shade of opposition? Little Popham had some faults and many weaknesses; but he was an honest creature, and never would have sold himself, as some of his former coadjutors have done, to the highest political bidder.

When the question of a dissolution of Parliament has once been mooted, it becomes emphatically, in the now obsolete sense of the term, the question; for some six hundred and fifty-eight honourable gentlemen feel themselves extended on the rack until the definitive sentence is pronounced. In pity to the interesting sufferers, the sentence was not long delayed. There was to be a dissolution; and from

the moment the announcement was made, the existing House of Commons became a nullity. Nobody had leisure to attend to arrears of business. Scarcely was it possible to muster a House to pass the indispensable votes for the public service. The whips had lost their authority; and mandates, once esteemed imperative as ukases, were openly laughed to scorn. Every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost-such is the senatorial sentiment, when it is known that the gates of St Stephen's, unlike those of the temple of Janus, are about to be closed.

Down went the senators to their counties and boroughs to give explanations of their past conduct, and to promise largely for the future. Unremitting were the labours of the great central committees, sitting in the Reform and Carlton Clubs, whose function it was to find candidates for every available place, and to pull the strings that gave motion to a numerous horde of puppets. In the midst of this turmoil and confusion I received a note from the Earl of Windermere requesting to see me upon urgent business.

"Mr Sinclair," said his Lordship, "I trust you will forgive the liberty I take in alluding to private matters; but I think-that is, I am informed that you are on terms of confidential communication with Mr Richard Beaton ?"

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have never yet addressed Mr Beaton on the subject."

"Then I have no more to say," replied Lord Windermere. "Indeed I fear I have been already guilty of a breach of good manners, for which I can only plead as my excuse the prevalence of the report, and my belief that it was really a true one. But it seems you are less fortunate than I had supposed."

"Nay, my Lord, you must not understand me as having renounced a hope which I certainly long have cherished. I do not deny that I am attached to Miss Beaton; I merely wish to explain that I am not in her father's confidence."

"See now what a thing it is to trust to rumour!" said Lord Windermere. "Here have I unwittingly been playing the part of an inquisitor, and extorting a confession upon a subject of the utmost delicacy! Well I trust most earnestly that I may be able to congratulate you hereafter. But to business. Perhaps you can inform me who is Mr Beaton's confidential adviser ?"

"Mr Poins, the solicitor, has, I believe, a larger share of his confidence than any one else."

"Poins! O, I know him well by report. A most respectable man, and, I believe, a stanch Tory."

"I can vouch for his respectability," said I; "as to his political views I know nothing."

"Ah! but politics are everything at the present moment. I am almost certain that he is a Conservative, but I must also know the precise shade of his opinions."

"If I might venture a remark, my Lord, I would say that many persons would be rather perplexed if asked to name the party to which they properly belong."

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You say the truth, Mr Sinclair; for the old landmarks have been beaten down, and the old watchwords have fallen into disuse. But this is a matter in which caution is requisite. The fact is, that my son, Ashford, does not intend to offer himself again for the representation of the county, a very excellent sub

stitute being provided in the person of a gentleman with whom you are acquainted, but has set his heart on contesting the borough of Bin place of Mr Beaton, who, it is presumed, will not enter Parliament again. Now I want to know whether, by any means, Mr Beaton could be persuaded to use the influence he possesses in favour of Ashford, whose abilities, I venture to think, might recommend him to any constituency."

"I fear, my Lord, nay, I am certain, that such an attempt would be fruitless. Mr Beaton has abandoned politics, and, you may depend upon it, will positively decline to interfere."

"I almost anticipated as much," said Lord Windermere, "but I do not like to give up the idea without a trial. Of course, nothing would be expected beyond such a recommendation as a gentleman might make with perfect propriety; and though I am well aware that Mr Beaton was a supporter of the late Ministry, I am certain he would prefer Ashford to a declared Radical who it seems is already in the field."

"Lord Windermere," I said, "Mr Beaton, though broken in fortune, is yet as proud as he was in the days of his highest prosperity-too proud to solicit a favour from any one, lest he should be suspected of an interested motive. Besides, recent events must very much have lessened the influence which he once possessed; and he is far too shrewd, and, I may add, too sensitive, to provoke an insolent reflection."

"I see all that," replied Lord Windermere; "but we really cannot allow this seat to be lost without an effort. I speak as a party man. Ashford is determined to make a fight for it, and it is not for me to discourage him. I would to heaven Mr Beaton was differently situated; still, while these malicious stories continue to be circulated, I agree with you that he cannot be expected to appear. By the way, I understand that you have made some important discoveries."

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