he's an awful ass! It was he who
said at a public function 'The Mayor of Wymington must be like Caesar's
wife--all things to all men!' Oh, he's a colossal ass! And his conceit!
My word!"

"You needn't expatiate on it," said I. "I who speak have suffered much
at the hands of Sir Gerald Macnaughton."

"If he did get into Parliament he'd expect an armchair to be put for him
next to the Speaker. Really, Lola, you never saw such a chap. If there
was any one else up against me I wouldn't mind. Anyway, I'm running down
to Wymington to-morrow to interview the committee. And if they choose
me, then it'll be a case of 'Lord don't help me and don't help the b'ar,
and you'll see the derndest best b'ar fight that ever was.' I'll make
things hum in Wymington!"

He went on eagerly to explain how he would make things hum. For the
moment he had forgotten his enchantress who, understanding nothing of
platforms and planks and electioneering machinery, smiled with pensive
politeness at the fire. Here was the Dale that I knew and loved, boyish,
impetuous, slangy, enthusiastic. His dark eyes flashed, and he threw
back his head and laughed, as he enunciated his brilliant ideas for
capturing the constituency.

"When I was working for you, I made love to half the women in the place.
You never knew that, you dear old stick. Now I'm going in on my own
account I'll make love to the whole crowd. You won't mind, Lola, will
you? There's safety in numbers. And when I have made love to them one
by one I'll get 'em all together and make love to the conglomerate mass!
And then I'll rake up all the prettiest women in London and get 'em down
there to humbug the men--"

"Lady Kynnersley will doubtless be there," said I; "and I don't quite
see her--"

He broke in with a laugh: "Oh! the mater! I'll fix up her job all right.
She'll just love it, won't she? And then I know a lot of silly asses
with motor-cars who'll come down. They can't talk for cob-nuts, and
think the Local Option has something to do with vivisection, and have a
vague idea that champagne will be cheaper if we get Tariff Reform--but
they'll make a devil of a noise at meetings and tote people round the
country in their cars holding banners with 'Vote for Kynnersley' on
them. That's a sound idea, isn't it?"

I gravely commended the statesmanlike sagacity of his plan of campaign,
and promised to write as soon as I got home to one or two members of the
committee whom I suspected of pro-Ma