Then the rough draft of the circular was revised and corrected, till it
appeared so admirable to Louis, that he snatched it up, and ran away
with it to read it to old Mr. Walby, who was one of the trustees, and
very fond of his last year's patient. His promise, good easy man, was
pretty sure to be the prize of the first applicant; but this did not
render it less valuable to his young lordship, who came back all
glorious with an eighth part of the victory, and highly delighted with
the excellent apothecary's most judicious and gratifying
sentiments,--namely, all his own eager rhetoric, to which the good man
had cordially given his meek puzzle-headed assent. Thenceforth Mr.
Walby was to 'think' all Fitzjocelyn's strongest recommendations of his
cousin.

There was no use in holding back now. James was committed, and,
besides, there was a vision looming in the distance of a scholar from a
foreign University with less than half a creed. Thenceforth prompt
measures were a mere duty to the rising generation; and Louis dragged
his Coriolanus into the town, to call upon certain substantial
tradesmen, who had voices among the eight.

Civility was great; but the portly grocer and gentlemanly bookseller
had both learned prudence in many an election; neither would make any
immediate reply--the one because he never did anything but what Mr.
Calcott directed, and the other never pledged himself till all the
candidates were in the field, and he had impartially printed all their
addresses.

Richardson, the solicitor, and man-of-business to the Ormersfield
estate, appeared so sure a card, that James declared that he was
ashamed of the farce of calling on him, but they obtained no decided
reply. Louis was proud that Richardson should display an independent
conscience, and disdained his cousin's sneering comment, that he had
forgotten that there were other clients in the county besides the
Fitzjocelyns.

No power could drag Mr. Frost a step further. He would not hear of
canvassing that 'very intelligent' Mr. Ramsbotham, of the Factory, who
had been chosen at unawares by the trustees before his principles had
developed themselves; far less on his nominee, the wealthy butcher,
always more demonstratively of the same mind.

James declared, first, that he would have nothing to do with them;
secondly, that he could not answer it to the Earl to let Louis ask a
favour of them; thirdly, that he had rather fail than owe his election