ted my noble friend, with
an evident relief from suspense; for I verily believe he thought I was
about to ask for something better. "Your affair shall be arranged by the
end of the week--and if there is anything else I can do for you, I beg
you to name it without reserve."

"If I could hear a few more of those remarkable sentiments of yours,
concerning the stake we should all have in society, I think it would
relieve my mind."

My companion looked at me a moment with a very awkward sort of
an intensity, drew his hand across his brows, reflected, and then
obligingly complied.

"You attach too much importance, Mr. Goldencalf, to a few certainly very
just but very ill-arranged ideas. That a man without a proper stake in
society is little better than the beasts of the fields, I hold to be
so obvious that it is unnecessary to dwell on the point. Reason as you
will, forward or backward, you arrive at the same result--he that hath
nothing is usually treated by mankind little better than a dog, and
he that is little better than a dog usually has nothing. Again. What
distinguishes the savage from the civilized man? Why, civilization to
be sure. Now, what is civilization? The arts of life. What feeds,
nourishes, sustains the arts of life? Money or property. By consequence,
civilization is property, and property is civilization. If the control
of a country is in the hands of those who possess the property, the
government is a civilized government; but, on the other hand, if it
is in the hands of those who have no property, the government is
necessarily an uncivilized government. It is quite impossible that
any one should become a safe statesman who does not possess a direct
property interest in society. You know there is not a tyro of our
political sect who does not fully admit the truth of this axiom."

"Mr. Pitt?"

"Why, Pitt was certainly an exception in one way; but then, you will
recollect, he was the immediate representative of the tories, who own
most of the property of England."

"Mr. Fox?"

"Fox represented the whigs, who own all the rest, you know. No, my
dear Goldencalf, reason as you will, we shall always arrive at the same
results. You will, of course, as you have just said, take one of the
seats yourself at the next general election?"

"I shall be too proud of being your colleague to hesitate."

This speech sealed our friendship; for it was a pledge to my noble
acquaintance of his future connection with t