one mode of at once securing themselves, and foiling their bitter enemy, Mr. Gammon; viz. hastening up to the polling-booth, without a word to any one, and, by placing Titmouse at the top of the poll, _destroy Gammon's motive for commencing his vindictive proceedings_, and so take him in his own trap. Gammon then returned to the polling-booth, (having named the signal by which he was to be apprised of success,) and resumed his former position, without giving to any one near him the slightest intimation of what he had been doing. If he imagined, however, that any movement of _his_, at so critical a moment, had not been watched, he was grievously mistaken. There were three persons whose sole business it had been, during the whole of that day, to keep a lynx eye upon his every motion, especially as connected with the Quaint Club. But his cunning emissary was equal to the exigency; and having (unseen) reconnoitred the streets for a few moments, he imagined that he detected one, if not two spies, lurking about. He therefore slipped out of a low back window, got down four or five back yards, and so across a small hidden alley, which enabled him to enter, unperceivedly, into the back room of the house he wished. "Ben! Ben!" he gasped with an air of consternation. "Hallo, man! what is 't?" quoth Ben. "Done! every man of you sold! Mr. Gammon turned tail on you!--Just happened to overhear him swear a solemn oath to Mr. Mudflint, that before four-and-twenty hours".... "Lord!--you did!--did you really?" "So help me----!" exclaimed the man, aghast. "What's to be done?" quoth Ben, the perspiration bursting out all over his forehead. "We've been made the cursedest fools of by _some_ one!--Hang me if I think the old beast at Fotheringham, or the young cub either, has ever meant"---- "What signifies it? It's all too late now." "Isn't there _any_ way--eh? To be sure, I own I thought we were pitched a _leetle_ too high with Mr. Gam"---- "But he has you _now_, though; and you'll find he's a devil incarnate!--But stop, I see"--he seemed, as if a thought had suddenly glanced across his puzzled and alarmed mind--"I'll tell you how to do him, and save yourselves yet." "O Lord!--eh?" exclaimed Ben, breathlessly. "But are your men all together?" "Oh ay! in five minutes' time we could all be on our way to the booth." "Then don't lose a minute--or all's up forever!--Don't explain to them the fix they're in till it's all over--and if _ever_ you tell 'em, or any one, the bit o' service I've"---- "Never, Thomas, so help me----!" quoth Ben, grasping his companion's hand, as in a vice. "Off all of you to the booth, and poll for life and death, for _Titmouse_." "What? Come--come, Master Thomas!" "Ay, ay--you fool! Don't you see? Make him win the election, and then, _in course_, Gammon's no cause to be at you--he'll have got all he wants."