“And this candidate must be equally the foe of class legislation and the friend of State rights.”

Here Mr. Bat moved his head, as if he were assenting to a remark of his friend General Jackson.

“And I surely need not add that it would be the first and most sacred point of honor with this candidate to serve his party in every thing, to be the unswerving advocate of all its measures, and implicitly obedient to all its behests,” said General Belch.

“Which behests are to be learned by him from the authorized leaders of the party,” said Mr. Enos Slugby.

“Certainly,” said half of the gentlemen.

“Of course,” said the other half.

During the remarks that General Belch had been making his eyes were fixed upon Abel Newt, who understood that this was a political examination, in which the questions asked included the answers that were to be given.  When the General had ended, the company sat intently smoking for some time, and filling and emptying their glasses.

“Mr. Bat,” said General Belch, “what is your view?”

Mr. Bat removed his eyes from General Jackson’s portrait, and cleared his throat.

“I think,” he said, closing his eyes, and rubbing his fingers along his eyebrows, “that the party holding to the only constitutional policy is to be supported at all hazards, and I think the great party to which we belong is that party.  Our principles are all true, and our measures are all just.  Speculative persons and dreamers talk about independent political action.  But politics always beget parties.  Governments are always managed by parties, and parties are always managed by—­”

The dried-apple complexion at this point assumed an ashy hue, as if something very indiscreet had been almost uttered.  Mr. Bat’s eyes opened and saw Abel’s fixed upon him with a peculiar intelligence.  The whole party looked a little alarmed at Mr. Bat, and apprehensively at the new-comer.  Mr. Ele frowned at General Belch,

“What does he mean?”

But Abel relieved the embarrassment by quietly completing Mr. Bat’s sentence—­

—­“by the managers.”

His black eyes glittered around the table, and Mr. Ele remembered a remark of General Belch’s about Mr. Newt’s riding upon the shoulders of his fellow-laborers.

“Exactly, by the managers,” said every body.

“And now,” said General Belch, cheerfully, “whom had we better propose to our fellow-citizens as a proper candidate for their suffrages to succeed the Honorable Mr. Bodley?”

He leaned back and puffed.  Mr. Ele, who had had a little previous conversation with the host, here rose and said, that, if he might venture, he would say, although it was an entirely unpremeditated thing, which had, in fact, only struck him while he had been sitting at that hospitable board, but had impressed him so forcibly that he could not resist speaking—­if he might venture, he would say that he knew a most able and highly accomplished gentleman—­in fact, it had occurred to him that there was then present a gentleman who would be precisely the man whom they might present to the people as a candidate suitable in every way.