roperty as Newton does not in
England belong altogether to the owner of it. Those who live upon it,
and are closely concerned in it with reference to all that they have
in the world, have a part property in it. They make it what it is,
and will not make it what it should be, unless in their hearts they
are proud of it. "You know he can't be the real squire," said one old
farmer to Mr. Walker. "They may hugger-mugger it this way and that;
but this Mr. Ralph can't be like t'other young gentleman."

Nevertheless the Squire himself was very happy. These things were
not said to him, and he had been successful. He took an interest in
all things keener than he had felt for years past. One day he was in
the stables with his son, and spoke about the hunting for the coming
season. He had an Irish horse of which he was proud, an old hunter
that had carried him for the last seven years, and of which he had
often declared that under no consideration would he part with it.
"Dear old fellow," he said, putting his hand on the animal's neck,
"you shall work for your bread one other winter, and then you shall
give over for the rest of your life."

"I never saw him look better," said Ralph.

"He's like his master;--not quite so young as he was once. He never
made a mistake yet that I know of."

Ralph when he saw how full of joy was his father, could not but
rejoice also that the thing so ardently desired had been at last
accomplished.

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE ELECTION.

The day of the nomination at Percycross came at last, and it was
manifest to everybody that there was a very unpleasant feeling in
the town. It was not only that party was arrayed against party. That
would have been a state of things not held to be undesirable, and
at any rate would have been natural. But at present things were so
divided that there was no saying which were the existing parties.
Moggs was separated from Westmacott quite as absolutely as was
Westmacott from the two Conservative candidates. The old Liberals of
the borough were full of ridicule for poor Moggs, of whom all absurd
stories were told by them both publicly and privately. But still he
was there, the darling of the workmen. It was, indeed, asserted by
the members of Mr. Westmacott's committee that Moggs's popularity
would secure for him but very few votes. A great proportion of
the working men of Percycross were freemen of the borough,--old
voters who were on the register by right of th