a Session," said George.

"Just so," said Mr Scruby.

"And then there'll be the cost of another election."

"That's true," said Mr Scruby; "but in such cases we do manage to
make it come a little cheaper. If you lick Travers now, it may be
that you'll have a walk-over for the next."

"Have you seen Grimes?" asked George.

"Yes, I have; the blackguard! He is going to open his house on
Travers's side. He came to me as bold as brass, and told me so,
saying that he never liked gentlemen who kept him waiting for his
odd money. What angers me is that he ever got it."

"We have not managed it very well, certainly," said Vavasor, looking
nastily at the attorney.

"We can't help those little accidents, Mr Vavasor. There are worse
accidents than that turn up almost daily in my business. You may
think yourself almost lucky that I haven't gone over to Travers
myself. He is a Liberal, you know; and it hasn't been for want of an
offer, I can tell you."

Vavasor was inclined to doubt the extent of his luck in this respect,
and was almost disposed to repent of his Parliamentary ambition. He
would now be called upon to spend certainly not less than three
thousand pounds of his cousin's money on the chance of being able to
sit in Parliament for a few months. And then, after what a fashion
would he be compelled to negotiate that loan! He might, to be sure,
allow the remainder of this Session to run, and stand, as he had
intended, at the general election; but he knew that if he now allowed
a Liberal to win the seat, the holder of the seat would be almost
sure of subsequent success. He must either fight now, or give up the
fight altogether; and he was a man who did not love to abandon any
contest in which he had been engaged.

"Well, Squire," said Scruby, "how is it to be?" And Vavasor felt
that he detected in the man's voice some diminution of that respect
with which he had hitherto been treated as a paying candidate for a
metropolitan borough.

"This lord is not dead yet," said Vavasor.

"No; he's not dead yet, that we have heard; but it won't do for us to
wait. We want every minute of time that we can get. There isn't any
hope for him, I'm told. It's gout in the stomach, or dropsy at the
heart, or some of those things that make a fellow safe to go."

"It won't do to wait for the next election?"

"If you ask me, I should say certainly not. Indeed, I shouldn't wish
to have to conduct it under such circumstances. I hate a f