The writ for Sloville would be out in a few days. The defeated Liberals were winding up business in Parliament as quickly as possible, in order at once to appeal to the country. The Tadpoles and Tapers were at their wits’ ends for a good cry. Wentworth rushed down to Sloville, invited the electors to hear him, advertised in the local papers, and covered the walls with his posters. He was for the extension of the Franchise to all men of age of sound mind, untainted by crime, and to all women who paid rates and taxes. He advocated the separation of Church and State, arbitration instead of war, reduction of national expenditure, a reform of the House of Lords, free trade in land, and free secular education. He was ready even to give Ireland as much Home Rule as he would give to England or Scotland. At that time the great Liberal leader had not dreamed of anything of the kind. ‘I like that,’ said the Tory candidate to his agent; ‘all the respectable people will vote for me.’ ‘Confound the fellow!’ said Sir Watkin, in a rage. ‘I shall have hard work to beat that, and if I did the people would never believe I meant it. I am of an old Whig family, and it is hard to give up one’s principles.’ ‘We shall have to _finesse_ a bit,’ said Sir Watkin’s agent and confidential man. ‘Suppose you placard yourself as the working-man’s friend.’ ‘Capital!’ said Sir Watkin delightedly. ‘Suppose we send agents to break up all his meetings, so that he can’t be heard.’ ‘A capital idea!’ ‘Suppose we get the Rev. George Windbag, the leading Dissenting minister in the town, to make a grand speech at our first meeting, to talk of the need of unity and the danger of splitting up the Liberal Party. We can secure the man at once, Sir Watkin, if you will but ask him to dinner at the Hall. There is not a bigger tuft-hunter in the county, and he has immense weight with the respectable shop-keeping class.’ ‘Capital!’ repeated the Baronet. ‘And suppose we get one or two Chartists from town. They will be sure to come. Pay them well, and feed them well, and you can do anything with them.’ ‘Right you are,’ said the Baronet. ‘And we might get a Socialist or Republican down.’ ‘What for?’ ‘To divide the Rads.’ ‘But I hate them like poison,’ said the Baronet. ‘Never mind,’ said the agent. ‘You need not appear in the matter. Leave them to me. I know how to secure them. This ain’t the first time I’ve been electioneering.’ ‘So it seems,’ said the Baronet. ‘All I say is, keep me out of a scrape.’ ‘That is not quite so easy as it was. Yet the thing can be done; Parliament, naturally being in favour of returning rich men to Parliament, is never much in earnest in attempting to put down bribery and corruption.’ ‘Ah! my father had never much difficulty in securing his seat,’ said the Baronet in a tone of regret. ‘Yes; but he spent a good deal of money, as I have heard.’ ‘That was true; but he got it all back again.’