iliated by what he had to say and
to unsay, by having to answer questions, and submit to familiarities,
to shake hands which, to say truth, he did not care for grasping at
all. His habits were aristocratic; his education had been military; the
kindest and simplest soul alive, he yet disliked all familiarity, and
expected from common people the sort of deference which he had received
from his men in the regiment. The contest saddened and mortified him; he
felt that he was using wrong means to obtain an end that perhaps was
not right (for so his secret conscience must have told him); he was
derogating from his own honour in tampering with political opinions,
submitting to familiarities, condescending to stand by whilst his agents
solicited vulgar suffrages or uttered claptraps about retrenchment and
reform. "I felt I was wrong," he said to me, in after days, "though I
was too proud to own my error in those times, and you and your good wife
and my boy were right in protesting against that mad election." Indeed,
though we little knew what events were speedily to happen, Laura and I
felt very little satisfaction when the result of the Newcome election
was made known to us, and we found Sir Barnes Newcome third, and Col.
Thomas Newcome second upon the poll.

Ethel was absent with her children at Brighton. She was glad, she wrote,
not to have been at home during the election. Mr. and Mrs. C. were at
Brighton, too. Ethel had seen Mrs. C. and her child once or twice. It
was a very fine child. "My brother came down to us," she wrote, "after
all was over. He is furious against M. de Moncontour, who, he says,
persuaded the Whigs to vote against him, and turned the election."

CHAPTER LXX. Chiltern Hundreds

We shall say no more regarding Thomas Newcome's political doings; his
speeches against Barnes, and the Baronet's replies. The nephew was
beaten by his stout old uncle.

In due time the Gazette announced that Thomas Newcome, Esq., was
returned as one of the Members of Parliament for the borough of Newcome;
and after triumphant dinners, speeches, and rejoicings, the Member came
back to his family in London, and to his affairs in that city.

The good Colonel appeared to be by no means elated by his victory. He
would not allow that he was wrong in engaging in that family war, of
which we have just seen the issue; though it may be that his secret
remorse on this account in part occasioned his disquiet. But there were
oth