to his father. He meant to call himself a Conservative, and
to go into the House of Commons under that denomination. All the men
among whom he lived were Conservatives. It was a matter on which,
as he thought, his father could have no right to control him. Down
in Barsetshire, as well as up in London, there was some little
difference of opinion in this matter. The people of Silverbridge
declared that they would prefer to have a Conservative member, as
indeed they had one for the last Session. They had loyally returned
the Duke himself while he was a commoner, but they had returned him
as being part and parcel of the Omnium appendages. That was all over
now. As a constituency they were not endowed with advanced views, and
thought that a Conservative would suit them best. That being so, and
as they had been told that the Duke's son was a Conservative, they
fancied that by electing him they would be pleasing everybody. But,
in truth, by so doing they would by no means please the Duke. He
had told them on previous occasions that they might elect whom they
pleased, and felt no anger because they had elected a Conservative.
They might send up to Parliament the most antediluvian old Tory
they could find in England if they wished, only not his son, not a
Palliser as a Tory or Conservative. And then, though the little town
had gone back in the ways of the world, the county, or the Duke's
division of the county, had made so much progress, that a Liberal
candidate recommended by him would almost certainly be returned. It
was just the occasion on which a Palliser should show himself ready
to serve his country. There would be an expense, but he would think
nothing of expense in such a matter. Ten thousand pounds spent on
such an object would not vex him. The very contest would have given
him new life. All this Lord Silverbridge understood, but had said to
himself and to all his friends that it was a matter in which he did
not intend to be controlled.

The Duke had passed a very unhappy night. He had told himself that
any such marriage as that spoken of was out of the question. He
believed that the matter might be so represented to his girl as to
make her feel that it was out of the question. He hardly doubted but
that he could stamp it out. Though he should have to take her away
into some further corner of the world, he would stamp it out. But
she, when this foolish passion of hers should have been thus stamped
out, could never be