as proposed by the other. At present he was
rather loud and noisy in the assertion of his opinions,--young men fresh
from the University generally are. It was the secret wish of Mr. Travers
that George Belvoir should become his son-in-law; less because of his
rank and wealth (though such advantages were not of a nature to be
despised by a practical man like Leopold Travers) than on account of
those qualities in his personal character which were likely to render
him an excellent husband.

Seated on wire benches, just without the veranda, but shaded by its
fragrant festoons, were Mrs. Campion and three ladies, the wives of
neighbouring squires. Cecilia stood a little apart from them, bending
over a long-backed Skye terrier, whom she was teaching to stand on his
hind legs.

But see, the company are arriving! How suddenly that green space, ten
minutes ago so solitary, has become animated and populous!

Indeed the park now presented a very lively appearance: vans, carts, and
farmers' chaises were seen in crowded procession along the winding road;
foot-passengers were swarming towards the house in all directions. The
herds and flocks in the various enclosures stopped grazing to stare at
the unwonted invaders of their pasture: yet the orderly nature of their
host imparted a respect for order to his ruder visitors; not even a
turbulent boy attempted to scale the fences, or creep through their
wires; all threaded the narrow turnstiles which gave egress from one
subdivision of the sward to another.

Mr. Travers turned to George Belvoir: "I see old farmer Steen's
yellow gig. Mind how you talk to him, George. He is full of whims and
crotchets, and if you once brush his feathers the wrong way he will be
as vindictive as a parrot. But he is the man who must second you at
the nomination. No other tenant-farmer carries the same weight with his
class."

"I suppose," said George, "that if Mr. Steen is the best man to second
me at the hustings, he is a good speaker?"

"A good speaker? in one sense he is. He never says a word too much. The
last time he seconded the nomination of the man you are to succeed, this
was his speech: 'Brother Electors, for twenty years I have been one of
the judges at our county cattle-show. I know one animal from another.
Looking at the specimens before us to-day none of them are as good
of their kind as I've seen elsewhere. But if you choose Sir John Hogg
you'll not get the wrong sow by the ear!'"

"At