ery mealy-mouthed in affairs of business,
but who was fairly and decently honourable in his money transactions.
In fact, he stood well on 'Change.

And during these two years he had stood a contest for a seat in
Parliament, having striven to represent the metropolitan borough of
Chelsea, on the extremely Radical interest. It is true that he had
failed, and that he had spent a considerable sum of money in the
contest. "Where on earth does your nephew get his money?" men said to
John Vavasor at his club. "Upon my word I don't know," said Vavasor.
"He doesn't get it from me, and I'm sure he doesn't get it from my
father." But George Vavasor, though he failed at Chelsea, did not
spend his money altogether fruitlessly. He gained reputation by the
struggle, and men came to speak of him as though he were one who
would do something. He was a stockbroker, a thorough-going Radical,
and yet he was the heir to a fine estate, which had come down from
father to son for four hundred years! There was something captivating
about his history and adventures, especially as just at the time of
the election he became engaged to an heiress, who died a month before
the marriage should have taken place. She died without a will, and
her money all went to some third cousins.

George Vavasor bore this last disappointment like a man, and it was
at this time that he again became fully reconciled to his cousin.
Previous to this they had met; and Alice, at her cousin Kate's
instigation, had induced her father to meet him. But at first there
had been no renewal of real friendship. Alice had given her cordial
assent to her cousin's marriage with the heiress, Miss Grant, telling
Kate that such an engagement was the very thing to put him thoroughly
on his feet. And then she had been much pleased by his spirit at that
Chelsea election. "It was grand of him, wasn't it?" said Kate, her
eyes brimming full of tears. "It was very spirited," said Alice. "If
you knew all, you would say so. They could get no one else to stand
but that Mr Travers, and he wouldn't come forward, unless they would
guarantee all his expenses." "I hope it didn't cost George much,"
said Alice. "It did, though; nearly all he had got. But what matters?
Money's nothing to him, except for its uses. My own little mite is
my own now, and he shall have every farthing of it for the next
election, even though I should go out as a housemaid the next day."
There must have been something great abo