As he turned away from the door, another cab drove up, and from it alighted Mr. Kerchever.  Dyce had no difficulty in recognising Lady Ogram’s solicitor, but discretion kept his head averted, and Mr. Kerchever, though observing him, did not speak.

By the post next morning, he received a formal announcement of Lady Ogram’s death, with an invitation to attend her funeral.  So far, so good.  He was now decidedly light-hearted.  Both Constance and May, he felt sure, would appreciate his delicacy in holding aloof, in seeking no sort of communication with them.  Prudence!  Reserve!  The decisive day approached.

Meanwhile, having need of sable garb, he had consulted Breakspeare as to the tailor it behooved him to patronise.  Unfortunately the only good tailor at Hollingford was a Conservative, who prided himself on having clad the late M. P. for many years.  Lashmar of necessity applied to an inferior artist, but in this man, who was summoned to wait upon him at the hotel, he found a zealous politician, whose enthusiasm more than compensated for sartorial defects.

“I have already been canvassing for you, sir,” declared the tailor.  “I can answer for twenty or thirty votes in my neighbourhood—­”

“I am greatly obliged to you, Mr. Bingham,” Dyce replied, in his suavest tone.  “We have a hard fight before us, but if I find many adherents such as you—­”

The tailor went away and declared to all his acquaintances that if they wished their borough to be represented by a gentleman, they had only to vote for the Liberal candidate.

As a matter of policy, Dyce had allowed it to be supposed that he was a man of substantial means.  With the members of his committee he talked in a large way whenever pecuniary matters came up.  Every day someone dined with him at the hotel, and the little dinners were as good as the Saracen’s Head could furnish special wines had been procured for his table.  Of course the landlord made such facts commonly known, and the whole establishment bowed low before this important guest.  All day long the name of Mr. Lashmar sounded in bar and parlour, in coffee-room and commercial-room.  Never had Dyce known such delicious thrills of self-respect as under the roof of this comfortable hostelry.  If he were elected, he would retain rooms, in permanence, at the hotel.—­Unless, of course, destiny made his home at Rivenoak.

Curiosity as to what was going on at the great house kept him in a feverish state during these days before the funeral.  Breakspeare, whom he saw frequently, supposed him to be in constant communication with Rivenoak, and at times hinted a desire for news, but Lashmar’s cue was a dignified silence, which seemed to conceal things of high moment.  Sir William and Lady Amys he knew to be still in the house of mourning; he presumed that May Tomalin had not gone away, and it taxed his imagination to picture the terms on which she lived with Constance.  At the funeral, no doubt, he would see them both; probably would have to exchange words with them—­an embarrassing necessity.