Oh, well; you'll see."

"I don't think any Christian should vote for a Jew," said the curate.
"A verdict has gone out against them, and what is man that he should
reverse it?"

"Are you quite sure that you are reversing it by putting them into
Parliament?" said Dr. Harford. "May not that be a carrying on of the
curse?"

"There's consolation in that idea for Butler if he loses his
election," said Mr. Comfort.

"Parliament isn't what it was," said the doctor. "There's no doubt
about that."

"And who is to blame?" said Mr. Comfort, who had never supported the
Reform Bill as his neighbour had done.

"I say nothing about blame. It's natural that things should get worse
as they grow older."

"Dr. Harford thinks Parliament is worn out," said Butler Cornbury.

"And what if I do think so? Have not other things as great fallen
and gone into decay? Did not the Roman senate wear out, as you call
it? And as for these Jews, of whom you are speaking, what was the
curse upon them but the wearing out of their grace and wisdom? I am
inclined to think that we are wearing out; only I wish the garment
could have lasted my time without showing so many thin places."

"Now I believe just the contrary," said the captain. "I don't think
we have come to our full growth yet."

"Could we lick the French as we did at Trafalgar and Waterloo?" said
the doctor.

The captain thought a while before he answered, and then spoke with
much solemnity. "Yes," said he, "I think we could. And I hope the
time will soon come when we may."

"We shan't do it if we send Jews to Parliament," said Mr. Comfort.

"I must say I think Tappitt wrong," said young Cornbury. "Of course,
near as the thing is going, I'm sorry to lose his vote; but I'm not
speaking because of that. He has always pretended to hold on to the
Church party here, and the Church party has held on to him. His beer
is none of the best, and I think he'd have been wise to stick to his
old friends."

"I don't see the argument about the beer," said the doctor.

"He shouldn't provoke his neighbours to look at his faults."

"But the Jew's friends would find out that the beer is bad as well as
yours."

"The truth is," said Cornbury, "that Tappitt thinks he has a personal
grievance against me. He's as cross as a bear with a sore head at the
present moment, because this young fellow who was to have been his
partner has turned against him. There's some love affair, and my wife
has been ther