But though thus in a measure withdrawing from the swirl of society in which so much of his life had been passed, he in no sense lost touch with the movements of the day, and in none of these did he take a more lively interest than in those which affected the state of France. And that seemed particularly unsettled. No one could attempt a forecast of the future, though wild guessing was easy. Nothing was certain; everything was possible. Hope was guided rather by fancy than by reason, and tinted the years to come in brighter colours than--now that those years have passed --history has warranted. For many years back the French Princes had been Reeve's occasional correspondents, but their letters had seldom had any political significance. At this time they began to have a more serious importance; and during the next six years those of the Comte de Paris, more especially, are full of deep and pregnant meaning. In England, the topics of the day were the dissolution in March, Mr. Gladstone's Mid-Lothian campaign, which will live in history as an instance of the noxious admixture of sentiment and politics, and the overwhelming success of the Liberal party at the polls, which brought Mr. Gladstone back to office, at the head of an absolute majority in the House of Commons of 56. Reeve, of course, followed the progress of the election with anxious eyes. To Mr. T. Norton Longman he wrote:-- _Foxholes, April 2nd_.--The Liberal gain on the Elections is far more than I anticipated, and I begin to hope there may be a decided Liberal majority. What I most deprecate is an even balance of parties. If the Liberals are strong, they will be moderate; if weak, they will be violent. It is raining heavily to-day--rather damp for the electors, but a capital thing for the country and for my shrubs. The further course of the election brought him the following letters from the Comte de Paris:-- _Chateau d'Eu, le 12 avril_.--Je vous remercie de tout mon coeur des voeux que vous m'adressez a l'occasion de la naissance de mon fils, et je suis heureux de pouvoir vous donner les meilleures nouvelles de la mere et de l'enfant. Je suis bien peine d'apprendre que vous avez ete si longtemps souffrant cet hiver. La rigueur de la saison peut bien en avoir ete la cause, et j'espere que l'ete achevera de vous remettre. Nous serions heureux, la Comtesse de Paris et moi, si durant cet ete vous pouviez, avec Madame et Mademoiselle Reeve, renouveler la visite que vous nous avez faite au chateau d'Eu il y a trois ans. Depuis lors la maison a ete toujours en deuil; l'evenement qui vient de s'accomplir ici nous permet, j'aime a le croire, une annee plus heureuse.