Silverbridge bench of magistrates, and was there sworn to
keep the peace to Mr. Fletcher for the next six months. After that he
was allowed to leave the town, and was back in London, with his wife
in Belgrave Mansions, to dinner that evening.

On the day but one after this the ballot was taken, and at eight
o'clock on the evening of that day Arthur Fletcher was declared to be
duly elected. But Mr. Du Boung ran him very hard.

The numbers were--

FLETCHER 315

DU BOUNG 308

Mr. Du Boung's friends during these two last days had not hesitated
to make what use they could on behalf of their own candidate of the
Lopez and Fletcher quarrel. If Mr. Fletcher had insulted the other
man's wife, surely he could not be a proper member for Silverbridge.
And then the row was declared to have been altogether discreditable.
Two strangers had come into this peaceful town and had absolutely
quarrelled with sticks and whips in the street, calling each other
opprobrious names. Would it not be better that they should elect
their own respectable townsman? All this was nearly effective. But,
in spite of all, Arthur Fletcher was at last returned.

CHAPTER XXXV

Lopez Back in London

Lopez, as he returned to town, recovered something of his senses,
though he still fancied that Arthur Fletcher had done him a positive
injury by writing to his wife. But something of that madness left
him which had come from his deep sense of injury, both as to the
letter and as to the borough, and he began to feel that he had been
wrong about the horsewhip. He was very low in spirits on this return
journey. The money which he had spent had been material to him, and
the loss of it for the moment left him nearly bare. While he had had
before his eyes the hope of being a member of Parliament he had been
able to buoy himself up. The position itself would have gone very far
with Sexty Parker, and would, he thought, have had some effect even
with his father-in-law. But now he was returning a beaten man. Who
is there that has not felt that fall from high hope to utter despair
which comes from some single failure? As he thought of this he
was conscious that his anger had led him into great imprudence at
Silverbridge. He had not been circumspect, as it specially behoved a
man to be surrounded by such difficulties as his. All his life he had
been schooling his temper so as to keep it under control,--sometimes
with great difficulty, but always wi