rtion of the electors was desirous
of proceeding to work at once, and of sending Mr. Browborough back
to his own place. It was thought that Phineas Finn should be made
to resign. And very wise men in Tankerville were much surprised
when they were told that a member of Parliament cannot resign his
seat,--that when once returned he is supposed to be, as long as that
Parliament shall endure, the absolute slave of his constituency
and his country, and that he can escape from his servitude only
by accepting some office under the Crown. Now it was held to be
impossible that a man charged with murder should be appointed even to
the stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds. The House, no doubt, could
expel a member, and would, as a matter of course, expel the member
for Tankerville,--but the House could hardly proceed to expulsion
before the member's guilt could have been absolutely established. So
it came to pass that there was no escape for the borough from any
part of the disgrace to which it had subjected itself by its unworthy
choice, and some Tankervillians of sensitive minds were of opinion
that no Tankervillian ever again ought to take part in politics.

Then, quite suddenly, there came into the borough the tidings that
Phineas Finn was an innocent man. This happened on the morning on
which the three telegrams from Prague reached London. The news
conveyed by the telegrams was at Tankerville almost as soon as in
the Court at the Old Bailey, and was believed as readily. The name
of the lady who had travelled all the way to Bohemia on behalf of
their handsome young member was on the tongue of every woman in
Tankerville, and a most delightful romance was composed. Some few
Protestant spirits regretted the now assured escape of their Roman
Catholic enemy, and would not even yet allow themselves to doubt that
the whole murder had been arranged by Divine Providence to bring down
the scarlet woman. It seemed to them to be so fitting a thing that
Providence should interfere directly to punish a town in which the
sins of the scarlet woman were not held to be abominable! But the
multitude were soon convinced that their member was innocent; and
as it was certain that he had been in great peril,--as it was known
that he was still in durance, and as it was necessary that the trial
should proceed, and that he should still stand at least for another
day in the dock,--he became more than ever a hero. Then came the
further delay, and at las