in a body, _i. e._, that if London has forty votes and Kent twenty,
those forty votes or those twenty will have to be cast solidly for some
one man. They cannot be split into thirty votes for one man and ten for
another; or into fifteen for one man and one each for five other men.

The Convention meets and it is plain from the first that the two
strongest candidates are Lord Rosebery and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman.
There are scattering votes for Mr. Morley and Mr. Asquith, each of them
getting the vote of one or more small Counties. But after the first
ballot, which is always more or less preliminary, it is apparent that
neither of those gentlemen can hope to be chosen, so the Counties which
voted for them, having expressed their preference, proceed on the next
ballot to give their suffrages either to Lord Rosebery or to Sir Henry.
The second ballot is completed. Every County has voted, with the result
that (out of a total vote of 521, of which 261 are necessary for a
choice) there are 248 votes for Lord Rosebery and 253 for Sir Henry
Campbell-Bannerman. But there is still one County which has not voted
for either. Kent at both ballots has cast its twenty votes for Mr. Will
Crooks. The reason why Kent does this is because the representatives
from Woolwich and the neighbourhood are a numerical majority of the Kent
delegation and those men are devoted to Mr. Crooks.

The third ballot produces the same result: Rosebery 248; Bannerman, 253;
Crooks, 20. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh ballots show no change
except that once in a while Rutland with three votes and Merioneth with
four have amused themselves or caused a temporary flutter by swinging
their votes from one side to the other or, perhaps, again casting them
for Mr. Morley or Mr. Asquith. There is a deadlock. The Convention
becomes impatient. The evening wears on and midnight arrives and still
there is no change. Neither Lord Rosebery nor Sir Henry can get the
extra dozen votes that are needed: still with regularity when the name
of Kent is called the leader of the delegation rises and responds "Kent
casts twenty votes for William Crooks."

At last in the small hours of the morning something happens. How it has
been arrived at nobody seems to know; but when the roll is called for
the thirteenth time, Norfolk, heretofore loyal to Sir Henry, suddenly
votes for Crooks. Tremendous excitement follows. The word goes round
that Campbell-Bannerman is beaten; his fr