oy, and never to feel what I do now." He then went up to
Edward, and shaking hands with him in the most cordial manner,
he warmly congratulated him, and then presented him to Alice.

Turning to my uncle, he said, "I have just heard a piece of
news at the club, which will take you by surprise. Mr.--, your
county member, is dead."

"Good Heavens! you don't say so?" exclaimed my uncle; "I saw
him yesterday in St. James's-street. Are you quite certain of
it?"

"Perfectly certain; and if Edward intends to canvass the
county, he had better start directly."

"Edward, you _must_ stand," cried my uncle, with all the
eagerness of a politician. "You have long wished to get into
parliament, and this is a glorious opportunity."

"Not the _time_ I would have chosen," said Edward, with a
smile and a look at me.

"Nonsense," cried Henry, with the most apparently unaffected
gaiety. "It is the best of times. You will be eloquent on the
hustings, in order that Ellen may read your speeches in the
newspaper. You must be so broken in to making love, that it
will come quite naturally to you to do so to every voter's
wife or daughter. With what wonderful effect you will
expatiate on the patriotism which tears you away from your
affianced bride, to undertake the arduous duties of a champion
of the popular cause, or an inveterate enemy of the new Poor
Law. But, really, there is no time to lose, my dear fellow;
the enemy will take the field to-morrow; and if you do not get
the start--."

I impatiently got up, and, standing behind my uncle's chair, I
fixed my eyes on Henry, with an expression of stern and
indignant inquiry. His eyes met mine for a moment, and the
colour rose in his cheek; but he persisted, with unabated
eagerness, in urging Edward and my uncle not to lose the
opportunity of securing to the former a seat in parliament; to
the latter a permanent influence in the county; and to the
government an additional vote.

Edward turned to me, and asked me half seriously, and half in
joke, for my opinion on the subject. Before I could answer, my
uncle said, "I entreat you, Ellen, not to interfere, by any
childish nonsense, with what is really important to Edward and
to me. For some years past, I have had such a scheme in view,
and if we do not carry it into execution now, it may escape us
altogether."

I had, in fact, no objection to offer, and, indeed, felt none,
except that Henry had suggested it, and seemed anxious to
bring