esence
in the borough for a few hours would be taken as a compliment.
Hitherto no one knew him at Silverbridge. During his boyhood he had
not been much at Gatherum Castle, and had done his best to eschew the
place since he had ceased to be a boy. All the Pallisers took a pride
in Gatherum Castle, but they all disliked it. "Oh yes; I'll go down,"
he said to Mr. Morton, who was up in town. "I needn't go to the great
barrack I suppose." The great barrack was the Castle. "I'll put up at
the Inn." Mr. Morton begged the heir to come to his own house; but
Silverbridge declared that he would prefer the Inn, and so the matter
was settled. He was to meet sundry politicians,--Mr. Sprugeon and Mr.
Sprout and Mr. Du Boung,--who would like to be thanked for what they
had done. But who was to go with him? He would naturally have asked
Tregear, but from Tregear he had for the last week or two been, not
perhaps estranged, but separated. He had been much taken up with
racing. He had gone down to Chester with Major Tifto, and under the
Major's auspicious influences had won a little money;--and now he
was very anxiously preparing himself for the Newmarket Second
Spring Meeting. He had therefore passed much of his time with Major
Tifto. And when this visit to Silverbridge was pressed on him he
thoughtlessly asked Tifto to go with him. Tifto was delighted. Lord
Silverbridge was to be met at Silverbridge by various well-known
politicians from the neighbourhood, and Major Tifto was greatly
elated by the prospect of such an introduction into the political
world.

But no sooner had the offer been made by Lord Silverbridge than
he saw his own indiscretion. Tifto was very well for Chester or
Newmarket, very well perhaps for the Beargarden, but not very well
for an electioneering expedition. An idea came to the young nobleman
that if it should be his fate to represent Silverbridge in Parliament
for the next twenty years, it would be well that Silverbridge should
entertain respecting him some exalted estimation,--that Silverbridge
should be taught to regard him as a fit son of his father and a
worthy specimen of the British political nobility. Struck by serious
reflections of this nature he did open his mind to Tregear. "I am
very fond of Tifto," he said, "but I don't know whether he's just the
sort of fellow to take down to an election."

"I should think not," said Tregear very decidedly.

"He's a very good fellow, you know," said Silverbridge.