ed and those who are not concerned, really know
the whole truth which is to be investigated; and yet, that which
everybody knows cannot be substantiated. There were not five men in
court who were not certain that Griffenbottom was corrupt, and that
Sir Thomas was not; that the borough was rotten as a six-months-old
egg; that Glump had acted under one of Trigger's aides-de-camp; that
intimidation was the law of the borough; and that beer was used so
that men drunk might not fear that which sober they had not the
courage to encounter. All this was known to everybody; and yet, up
to the last, it was thought by many in Percycross that corruption,
acknowledged, transparent, egregious corruption, would prevail even
in the presence of a judge. Mr. Trigger believed it to the last.

But it was not so thought by the Jacky Jorams or by the Serjeant
Burnabys. They made their final speeches,--the leading lawyer on each
side, but they knew well what was coming. At half-past seven, for to
so late an hour had the work been continued, the judge retired to
get a cup of tea, and returned at eight to give his award. It was as
follows:--

As to the personation of votes, there should have been no allegation
made. In regard to the charge of intimidation it appeared that the
system prevailed to such an extent as to make it clear to him that
Percycross was unfit to return representatives to Parliament. In the
matter of treating he was not quite prepared to say that had no other
charge been made he should have declared this election void, but of
that also there had been sufficient to make him feel it to be his
duty to recommend to the Speaker of the House of Commons that further
inquiry should be made as to the practices of the borough. And as
to direct bribery, though he was not prepared to say that he could
connect the agents of the members with what had been done,--and
certainly he could not connect either of the two members
themselves,--still, quite enough had been proved to make it
imperative upon him to declare the election void. This he should
do in his report to the Speaker, and should also advise that a
commission be held with the view of ascertaining whether the
privilege of returning members of Parliament should remain with the
borough. With Griffenbottom he dealt as tenderly as he did with Sir
Thomas, sending them both forth to the world, unseated indeed, but as
innocent, injured men.

There was a night train up to London at 10 P