eir birth and family
connection in the place, independent of householdership and
rates,--and quite accustomed to the old ways of manipulation. The
younger of these men might be seduced into listening to Moggs. The
excitement was pleasant to them. But they were too well trained to be
led away on the day of election. Moggs would give them no beer, and
they had always been accustomed to their three half-crowns a head in
consideration for the day's work. Not a dozen freemen of the borough
would vote for Moggs. So said Mr. Kirkham, Mr. Westmacott's managing
man, and no man knew the borough quite so well as did Mr. Kirkham.
"They'll fight for him at the hustings," said Mr. Kirkham; "but
they'll take their beer and their money, and they'll vote for us and
Griffenbottom."

This might be true enough as regarded the freemen,--the men who had
been, as it were, educated to political life;--but there was much
doubt as to the new voters. There were about a thousand of these in
the borough, and it had certainly not been the intention of either
party that these men should have the half-crowns. It was from
these men and their leaders,--the secretaries and chairmen and
presidents,--that had come the cry for a second liberal candidate,
and the consequent necessity of putting forward two Conservatives.
They were equally odious to the supporters of Westmacott and of
Griffenbottom. "They must have the half-crowns," Trigger had said
to old Pile, the bootmaker. Pile thought that every working man was
entitled to the three half-crowns, and said as much very clearly.
"I suppose old Griff ain't going to turn Hunks at this time o' day,"
said Mr. Pile. But the difficulties were endless, and were much
better understood by Mr. Trigger than by Mr. Pile. The manner of
conveying the half-crowns to the three hundred and twenty-four
freemen, who would take them and vote honestly afterwards for
Griffenbottom and Underwood, was perfectly well understood. But
among that godless, riotous, ungoverned and ungovernable set of new
householders, there was no knowing how to act. They would take the
money and then vote wrong. They would take the money and then split.
The freemen were known. Three hundred and twenty-four would take
Griffenbottom's beer and half-crowns. Two hundred and seventy-two
would be equally complaisant with Mr. Westmacott. But of these
householders nothing was known. They could not be handled. Some
thirty or forty of them would probably have