CHAPTER XXXV.
Cor. Your good voice, Sir--what say you? 2nd Cit. You shall have it,worthy Sir.--Coriolanus.
The borough of Buyemall had long been in undisputed possession of thelords of Glenmorris, till a rich banker, of the name of Lufton, hadbought a large estate in the immediate neighbourhood of GlenmorrisCastle. This event, which was the precursor of a mighty revolution inthe borough of Buyemall, took place in the first year of my uncle'saccession to his property. A few months afterwards, a vacancy in theborough occurring, my uncle procured the nomination of one of his ownpolitical party. To the great astonishment of Lord Glenmorris, and thegreat gratification of the burghers of Buyemall, Mr. Lufton offeredhimself in opposition to the Glenmorris candidate. In this ageof enlightenment, innovation has no respect for the most sacredinstitutions of antiquity. The burghers, for the only time since theircreation as a body, were cast first into doubt, and secondly intorebellion. The Lufton faction, horresco referens, were triumphant, andthe rival candidate was returned. From that hour the Borough of Buyemallwas open to all the world.
My uncle, who was a good easy man, and had some strange notions of freerepresentation, and liberty of election, professed to care very littlefor this event. He contented himself henceforward, with exerting hisinterest for one of the members, and left the other seat entirely atthe disposal of the line of Lufton, which, from the time of the firstcompetition, continued peaceably to monopolize it.
During the last two years, my uncle's candidate, the late Mr.Toolington, had been gradually dying of a dropsy, and the Luftons hadbeen so particularly attentive to the honest burghers, that it wasshrewdly suspected a bold push was to be made for the other seat. Duringthe last month these doubts were changed into certainty. Mr. AugustusLeopold Lufton, eldest son to Benjamin Lufton, Esq., had publiclydeclared his intention of starting at the decease of Mr. Toolington;against this personage, behold myself armed and arrayed.
Such is, in brief, the history of the borough, up to the time in which Iwas to take a prominent share in its interests and events.
On the second day after my arrival at the castle, the followingadvertisement appeared at Buyemall:--
"To the Independent Electors of the Borough of Buyemall.
"Gentlemen,
"In presenting myself to your notice, I advance a claim not altogethernew and unfounded. My family have for centuries been residing amongstyou, and exercising that interest which reciprocal confidence, and goodoffices may fairly create. Should it be my good fortune to be chosenyour representative, you may rely upon my utmost endeavours to deservethat honour. One word upon the principles I espouse: they are thosewhich have found their advocates among the wisest and the best; they arethose which, hostile alike to the encroachments of the crown, and thelicentiousness of the people, would support the real interest of both.Upon these grounds, gentlemen, I have the honour to solicit your votes;and it is with the sincerest respect for your ancient and honourablebody, that I subscribe myself your very obedient servant,
"Henry Pelham."
"Glenmorris Castle,"
Such was the first public signification of my intentions; it was drawnup by Mr. Sharpon, our lawyer, and considered by our friends as amasterpiece: for, as my mother sagely observed, it did not commit mein a single instance--espoused no principle, and yet professed what allparties would allow was the best.
At the first house where I called, the proprietor was a clergyman ofgood family, who had married a lady from Baker-street: of course theReverend Combermere St. Quintin and his wife valued themselves uponbeing "genteel." I arrived at an unlucky moment; on entering the hall, adirty footboy was carrying a yellow-ware dish of potatoes into the backroom. Another Ganymede (a sort of footboy major), who opened the door,and who was still settling himself into his coat, which he had slippedon at my tintinnabulary summons, ushered me with a mouth full of breadand cheese into this said back room. I gave up every thing as lost, whenI entered, and saw the lady helping her youngest child to some ineffabletrash, which I have since heard is called "blackberry pudding." Anotherof the tribe was bawling out, with a loud, hungry tone--"A tatoe, pa!"The father himself was carving for the little group, with a napkinstuffed into the top button-hole of his waistcoat, and the mother,with a long bib, plentifully bespattered with congealing gravy, and thenectarean liquor of the "blackberry pudding," was sitting, with a sortof presiding complacency, on a high stool, like Jupiter on Olympus,enjoying rather than stilling the confused hubbub of the little domesticdeities, who eat, clattered, spattered, and squabbled around her.
Amidst all this din and confusion, the candidate for the borough ofBuyemall was ushered into the household privacy of the genteel Mr.and Mrs. St. Quintin. Up started the lady at the sound of my name. TheReverend Combermere St. Quintin seemed frozen into stone. The platebetween the youngest child and the blackberry-pudding, stood as still asthe sun in Ajalon. The morsel between the mouth of the elder boy and hisfork had a respite from mastication. The Seven Sleepers could not havebeen spell-bound more suddenly and completely.
"Ah!" cried I, advancing eagerly, with an air of serious and yet abruptgladness; "how deuced lucky that I should find you all at luncheon. Iwas up and had finished breakfast so early this morning, that I am halffamished. Only think how fortunate, Hardy (turning round to one of themembers of my committee, who accompanied me); I was just saying whatwould I not give to find Mr. St. Quintin at luncheon. Will you allow me,Madam, to make one of your party?"
Mrs. St. Quintin coloured, and faltered, and muttered out somethingwhich I was fully resolved not to hear. I took a chair, looked round thetable, not too attentively, and said--"Cold veal; ah! ah! nothing Ilike so much. May I trouble you, Mr. St. Quintin?--Hollo, my little man,let's see if you can't give me a potatoe. There's a brave fellow. Howold are you, my young hero?--to look at your mother, I should say two;to look at you, six."
"He is four next May," said his mother, colouring, and this time notpainfully.
"Indeed!" said I, surveying him earnestly; and then, in a graver tone,I turned to the Reverend Combermere with--"I think you have a branch ofyour family still settled in France. I met Monsieur St. Quintin, the Duede Poictiers, abroad."
"Yes," said Mr. Combermere, "yes, the name is still in Normandy, but Iwas not aware of the title."
"No!" said I, with surprise; "and yet (with another look at the boy), itis astonishing how long family likenesses last. I was a great favouritewith all the Duc's children. Do you know, I must trouble you for somemore veal, it is so very good, and I am so very hungry."
"How long have you been abroad?" said Mrs. St. Quintin, who had slippedoff her bib, and smoothed her ringlets; for which purposes I had beenmost adroitly looking in an opposite direction the last three minutes.
"About seven or eight months. The fact is, that the continent only doesfor us English people to see--not to inhabit; and yet, there are someadvantages there, Mr. St. Quintin!--Among others, that of the duerespect ancient birth is held in. Here, you know, 'money makes the man,'as the vulgar proverb has it."
"Yes," said Mr. St. Quintin, with a sigh, "it is really dreadful tosee those upstarts rising around us, and throwing every thing that isrespectable and ancient into the back ground. Dangerous times these,Mr. Pelham--dangerous times; nothing but innovation upon the mostsacred institutions. I am sure, Mr. Pelham, that your principles must bedecidedly against these new-fashioned doctrines, which lead to nothingbut anarchy and confusion--absolutely nothing."
"I'm delighted to find you so much of my opinion!" said I. "I cannotendure any thing that leads to anarchy and confusion."
Here Mr. Combermere glanced at his wife--who rose, called to thechildren, and, accompanied by them, gracefully withdrew.
"Now then," said Mr. Combermere, drawing his chair nearer tome,--"now, Mr. Pelham, we can discuss these matters. Women are nopoliticians,"--and at this sage aphorism, the Rev. Combermere laughed alow solemn laugh, which could have come from no other lips. After I hadjoined in this grave merrime
nt for a second or two--I hemmed thrice, andwith a countenance suited to the subject and the hosts, plunged at oncein medias res.
"Mr. St. Quintin," said I, "you are already aware, I think, of myintention of offering myself as a candidate for the borough of Buyemall.I could not think of such a measure, without calling upon you, the veryfirst person, to solicit the honour of your vote." Mr. Combermere lookedpleased, and prepared to reply. "You are the very first person I calledupon," repeated I.
Mr. Combermere smiled. "Well, Mr. Pelham," said he, "our families havelong been on the most intimate footing."
"Ever since" cried I, "ever since Henry the Seventh's time have thehouses of St. Quintin and Glenmorris been allied. Your ancestors, youknow, were settled in the county before our's, and my mother assures methat she has read in some old book or another, a long account of yourforefather's kind reception of mine at the castle of St. Quintin. Ido trust, Sir, that we have done nothing to forfeit a support so longafforded us."
Mr. St. Quintin bowed in speechless gratification; at length he foundvoice. "But your principles, Mr. Pelham?"
"Quite your's, my dear Sir: quite against anarchy and confusion."
"But the catholic question, Mr. Pelham?"
"Oh! the catholic question," repeated I, "is a question of greatimportance; it won't be carried--no, Mr. St. Quintin, no, it won't becarried; how did you think, my dear Sir, that I could, in so great aquestion, act against my conscience?"
I said this with warmth, and Mr. St. Quintin was either too convinced ortoo timid to pursue so dangerous a topic any further. I blessed my starswhen he paused, and not giving him time to think of another piece ofdebateable ground, continued, "Yes, Mr. St. Quintin, I called upon youthe very first person. Your rank in the county, your ancient birth, tobe sure, demanded it; but I only considered the long, long time the St.Quintins and Pelhams had been connected."
"Well," said the Rev. Combermere, "well, Mr. Pelham, you shall havemy support; and I wish, from my very heart, all success to a younggentleman of such excellent principles."