er a certain amount of pressing, admitted that I was not
altogether as universally acceptable to my own side as I might have
been.

"You are not violent enough, Mr Inglethwaite," he said. "You sympathise
too much with the point of view of the opposite side. That's fatal."

I turned to Robin.

"You hear that?" I said. "Don't you ever call me a prejudiced old Tory
again, Robin."

"Then," continued the dolorous Cash, "you are too squeamish. Those
posters that you wouldn't allow to be put up--that was simply throwing
away good votes. Politics in this part of the country can't be played
with kid gloves. Then there are the meetings. You don't let the other
side have it hot enough. Call 'em robbers and liars! That's what wins an
election!"

"I suppose it is," I said mournfully. "Robin, we must put our opinions
in our pockets and beat the party drum. Come on, let us go to the
Committee Rooms!"

For the next fortnight we worked like galley-slaves. Each morning Kitty
and I drove round the town in an open carriage-and-pair decorated with
our colours, bowing to such of our constituents as would look at us, and
punctiliously returning any salutes we received. Occasionally
whole-hearted supporters would give us a cheer, and occasionally--rather
more frequently, it seemed to me--disagreeable persons booed at us. Once
we were held up outside a hide-and-tallow work by a gang of workmen who
wished to address a few questions to the Candidate. We came well out of
that ordeal, for both Kitty and Dolly happened to be in the carriage
that day, and they so completely captivated the spokesman of the
deputation--no wonder! a pretty woman never looks so attractive as in
furs--that that gentleman concluded a catechism of unpremeditated
brevity and incoherence by proposing a vote of confidence in, coupled
with three cheers for, Mr Inglethwaite and his young ladies!

On another occasion a gnarled and fervent Radical of the bootmaking
persuasion hobbled to the door of his establishment, and waving clenched
and uplifted fists, called down upon us and our retreating equipage all
the curses at the command of a rather extensive vocabulary until we were
out of earshot.

Occasionally little girls threw posies into the carriage: little boys,
not to be outdone in politeness, threw stones: and altogether I felt
very much as the Honourable Samuel Slumkey must have done upon the
historic occasion on which he solicited the votes of the electors of the