“Well, now, Finn,” he said, “don’t you know that you’ve treated me badly about Loughton?”

“Treated you badly about Loughton!” Phineas, as he repeated the words, was quite in the dark as to Mr. Slide’s meaning.  Did Mr. Slide intend to convey a reproach because Phineas had not personally sent some tidings of the election to the People’s Banner?

“Very badly,” said Mr. Slide, with his arms akimbo,—­“very badly indeed!  Men on the press together do expect that they’re to be stuck by, and not thrown over.  Damn it, I say; what’s the good of a brotherhood if it ain’t to be brotherhood?”

“Upon my word, I don’t know what you mean,” said Phineas.

“Didn’t I tell you that I had Loughton in my heye?” said Quintus.

“Oh—­h!”

“It’s very well to say ho, and look guilty, but didn’t I tell you?”

“I never heard such nonsense in my life.”

“Nonsense?”

“How on earth could you have stood for Loughton?  What interest would you have there?  You could not even have found an elector to propose you.”

“Now, I’ll tell you what I’ll do, Finn.  I think you have thrown me over most shabby, but I won’t stand about that.  You shall have Loughton this session if you’ll promise to make way for me after the next election.  If you’ll agree to that, we’ll have a special leader to say how well Lord What’s-his-name has done with the borough; and we’ll be your horgan through the whole session.”

“I never heard such nonsense in my life.  In the first place, Loughton is safe to be in the schedule of reduced boroughs.  It will be thrown into the county, or joined with a group.”

“I’ll stand the chance of that.  Will you agree?”

“Agree!  No!  It’s the most absurd proposal that was ever made.  You might as well ask me whether I would agree that you should go to heaven.  Go to heaven if you can, I should say.  I have not the slightest objection.  But it’s nothing to me.”

“Very well,” said Quintus Slide.  “Very well!  Now we understand each other, and that’s all that I desire.  I think that I can show you what it is to come among gentlemen of the press, and then to throw them over.  Good morning.”

Phineas, quite satisfied at the result of the interview as regarded himself, and by no means sorry that there should have arisen a cause of separation between Mr. Quintus Slide and his “dear Finn,” shook off a little dust from his foot as he left the office of the People’s Banner, and resolved that in future he would attempt to make no connection in that direction.  As he returned home he told himself that a member of Parliament should be altogether independent of the press.  On the second morning after his meeting with his late friend, he saw the result of his independence.  There was a startling article, a tremendous article, showing the pressing necessity of immediate reform, and proving the necessity by an illustration of the borough-mongering rottenness