im, who would make
nothing out of the election without his candidature, assured him from
time to time that he would even yet come out all right at the ballot.
With such a hope still existing he had not scrupled to affirm in his
speeches that the success of his canvass had been complete. But, on
the morning of the day on which he met Fletcher in the street, Mr. Du
Boung had called upon him accompanied by two of the Du Boung agents
and by Mr. Sprugeon himself,--and had suggested that he, Lopez,
should withdraw from the contest, so that Du Boung might be returned,
and that the "Liberal interests" of the borough might not be
sacrificed.

This was a heavy blow, and one which Ferdinand Lopez was not the
man to bear with equanimity. From the moment in which the Duchess
had mentioned the borough to him, he had regarded the thing as
certain. After a while he had understood that his return must be
accompanied by more trouble and greater expense than he had at first
anticipated;--but still he had thought that it was all but sure. He
had altogether misunderstood the nature of the influence exercised
by the Duchess, and the nature also of the Duke's resolution. Mr.
Sprugeon had of course wished to have a candidate, and had allured
him. Perhaps he had in some degree been ill-treated by the borough.
But he was a man whom the feeling of injustice to himself would drive
almost to frenzy, though he never measured the amount of his own
injustice to others. When the proposition was made to him, he scowled
at them all, and declared that he would fight the borough to the
last. "Then you'll let Mr. Fletcher in to a certainty," said Mr.
Sprout. Now there was an idea in the borough that, although all the
candidates were ready to support the Duke's government, Mr. Du Boung
and Mr. Lopez were the two Liberals. Mr. Du Boung was sitting in the
room when the appeal was made, and declared that he feared that such
would be the result. "I'll tell you what I'll do," said Lopez; "I'll
toss up which of us retires." Mr. Sprout, on behalf of Mr. Du Boung,
protested against that proposition. Mr. Du Boung, who was a gentleman
of great local influence, was in possession of four-fifths of the
Liberal interests of the borough. Even were he to retire Mr. Lopez
could not get in. Mr. Sprout declared that this was known to all the
borough at large. He, Sprout, was sorry that a gentleman like Mr.
Lopez should have been brought down there under false ideas. He had
a