st what it was not. It was all a crammer. But it did as
well."

"I am glad he is a member. Don't you think the Duke will come round a
little now?"

When Tregear and the election had been sufficiently discussed,
they came by degrees to Major Tifto and the two thunderbolts.
Silverbridge, when he perceived that nothing was to be said about
Isabel Boncassen, or his own freedom in the matter of love-making,
was not sorry to have a friend from whom he could find sympathy for
himself in his own troubles. With some encouragement from Mabel the
whole story was told. "Was it not a great impertinence?" she asked.

"It was an awful bore. What could I say? I was not going to pronounce
judgment against the poor devil. I daresay he was good enough for Mr.
Jawstock."

"But I suppose he did cheat horribly."

"I daresay he did. A great many of them do cheat. But what of that? I
was not bound to give him a character, bad or good."

"Certainly not."

"He had not been my servant. It was such a letter. I'll show it you
when we get in!--asking whether Tifto was fit to be the depositary of
the intimacy of the Runnymede hunt! And then Tif's letter;--I almost
wept over that."

"How could he have had the audacity to write at all?"

"He said that 'him and me had been a good deal together.'
Unfortunately that was true. Even now I am not quite sure that he
lamed the horse himself."

"Everybody thinks he did. Percival says there is no doubt about it."

"Percival knows nothing about it. Three of the gang ran away, and he
stood his ground. That's about all we do know."

"What did you say to him?"

"I had to address him as Sir, and beg him not to write to me any
more. Of course they mean to get rid of him, and I couldn't do him
any good. Poor Tifto! Upon the whole I think I hate Jawstock worse
than Tifto."

Lady Mabel was content with her afternoon's work. When they had been
at Matching before the Polpenno election, there had apparently been
no friendship between them,--at any rate no confidential friendship.
Miss Boncassen had been there, and he had had neither ears nor eyes
for any one else. But now something like the feeling of old days had
been restored. She had not done much towards her great object;--but
then she had known that nothing could be done till he should again be
in a good humour with her.

On the Sunday, the Monday, and the Tuesday they were again together.
In some of these interviews Silverbridge described the Polp