‘Frank is member of Parliament for Polpenno.  That is all.’

’That is so like a man, and so unlike a woman.  What did he say?  What did he do?  How did he look?  What did you say?  What did you do?  How did you look?’

’We looked very miserable, when we got wet through, walking about all day in the rain.’

‘Was that necessary?’

’Quite necessary.  We looked so mean and draggled that nobody would have voted for us, only that poor Mr Carbotttle looked meaner and more draggled.’

‘The Duke says you made every so many speeches.’

’I should think I did.  It is very easy to make speeches down at a place like that.  Tregear spoke like a book.’

‘He spoke well?’

’Awfully well.  He told them that all the good things that had every been done in Parliament had been done by the Tories.  He went back to Pitt’s time, and had it all at his fingers’ ends.’

‘And quite true.’

’That’s just what it was not.  It was all a crammer.  But it did well.’

’I am glad he is a member.  Don’t you think the Duke will come around a little now?’

When Tregear and the election had been sufficiently discussed, they came by degrees to Major Tifto and the two thunderbolts.  Silverbridge, when he perceived that nothing was to be said about Isabel Boncassen, or his own freedom in the matter of love-making, was not sorry to have a friend from whom he could find sympathy for himself in his own troubles.  With some encouragement from Mabel the whole story was told.  ‘Was it not a great impertinence?’ she asked.

’It was an awful bore.  What could I say?  I was not going to pronounce judgement against the poor devil, I daresay he was good enough for Mr Jawstock.’

‘But I suppose he did cheat horribly.’

’I daresay he did.  A great many of them do cheat.  But what of that?  I was not bound to give him a character, bad or good.’

‘Certainly not.’

’He had not been my servant.  It was such a letter.  I’ll show it to you when we get in!-asking whether Tifto was fit to be the depository of the intimacy of the Runnymeded hunt!  And then Tif’s letter;—­I almost wept over that.’

‘How could he have had the audacity to write at all?’

’He said that “him and me had been a good deal together”.  Unfortunately that was true.  Even now I am not quite sure that he lamed the horse himself.’

’Everybody thinks he did.  Percival says there is no doubt about it.’

’Percival knows nothing about it.  Three of the gang ran away, and he stood his ground.  That’s about all we do know.’

‘What did you say to him?’

’I had to address him as Sir, and beg him not to write to me any more.  Of course they mean to get rid of him, and I couldn’t do him any good.  Poor Tifto!  Upon the whole I think I hate Jawstock worse than Tifto.’