on the Overseers will sit down and make out a
new Rate just a shade different from the last, and the Tories will have to
begin again--Quarter Sessions, Court o' King's Bench, _mandamus_--"

"King's Bench will send down, more like, and attach the Overseers for
contempt of Court," suggested young Bob Martin, who was one of them.

"Not a bit of it; but I'll allow you may find it hard to keep their pluck
to the sticking-point. Very well, then here's another plan: When it comes
to the writ, the Overseers can make out a new Rate 'agreeable to the form
and tenor of the same,' as the words go. But a new Rate's worthless until
you, Squire, and you, Parson, have signed the allowance for it as
magistrates: and now comes your turn to give trouble."

"And how'm I to do that?" asked the old Squire.

"Why, by keeping out of the way, to be sure. Take a holiday: find out
some little spa that suits your complaint, and go and drink the waters."

"Ay, do, Parson," chimed in John a Hall. "Take Grandison, here, along
with you, and we'll all have a holiday together."

"At the worst," chipped in Newte, "they'll fine you fifty pounds for
misbehaviour."

"Fifty pounds! Fine me fifty pounds?" the Parson quavered, his pipe-stem
waggling.

"Bless your heart, sir, we can work it in somehow with the Election
expenses. But it may not come to that. Parliament's more than five years
old already, and I'll warrant the King dissolves it by next spring at
latest: which reminds me that keeping an eye on the Voters' List is all
very well, but unless we can find a hot pair of candidates, this Macann
may unsaddle us after all."

II.

Well, this or something like it was the plan agreed on; and for candidates
they managed to get the Duke's own son, Lord William, and a Major
Dyngwall, a friend of his, very handsome to look at, but shy in the
mouth-speech. With Dr. Macann the Tories put up a Mr. Saule, from
Bristol, who took a terrible deal of snuff and looked wise, but had some
maggot in his head that strong drink isn't good for a man. Why or how
this should be he might have known but couldn't tell, being a desperate
poor speaker, and, if possible, a worse hand at it than Major Dyngwall.

I won't take you through all the battle over the Poor Rate. You
understand that the right of voting for Parliament belonged to all the
inhabitants of the borough paying Scot and Lot; and who these were the
Rate-sheet determined. So you may fancy the p