ween the rural
labourer and the artizan,--each one of whom acknowledged that after
noon on the election day he received ten shillings, with instructions
to vote for Griffenbottom and Underwood. And they did vote for
Griffenbottom and Underwood. At all elections in Percycross they had,
as they now openly acknowledged, waited till about the same hour on
the day of election, and then somebody had bought their votes for
somebody. On this occasion the purchase had been made by Mr. Glump.
There was a small empty house up a little alley in the town, to which
there was a back door opening on a vacant space in the town known
as Grinder's Green. They entered this house by one door, leaving it
by the other, and as they passed through, Glump gave to each man
half a sovereign with instructions, entering their names in a small
book;--and then they went in a body and voted for Griffenbottom and
Underwood. Each of the twenty knew nearly all the other twenty, but
none of them knew any other men who had been paid by Glump. Of course
none of them had the slightest knowledge of Glump's present abode.
It was proved that at the last election Glump had acted for the
Liberals; but it was also proved that at the election before he had
been active in bribing for the Conservatives. Very many things were
proved,--if a thing be proved when supported by testimony on oath.
Trigger proved that twenty votes alone could have been of no
service, and would not certainly have been purchased in a manner so
detrimental. According to Trigger's views it was as clear as daylight
that Glump had not been paid by them. When asked whether he would
cause Mr. Glump to be repaid that sum of ten pounds, should Mr. Glump
send in any bill to that effect, he simply stated that Mr. Glump
would certainly send no such bill to him. He was then asked whether
it might not be possible that the money should be repaid by Messrs.
Griffenbottom and Underwood through his hands, reaching Glump again
by means of a further middleman. Mr. Trigger acknowledged that were
such a claim made upon him by any known agent of his party, he would
endeavour to pass the ten pounds through the accounts, as he thought
that there should be a certain feeling of honour in these things;
but he did not for a moment think that any one acting with him would
have dealings with Glump. On the Saturday morning, when the case was
still going on, to the great detriment of Baron Grumble's domestic
happiness, Glump