ight when
there's no chance of success. I grudge spending a man's money in such
a case; I do indeed, Mr Vavasor."

"I suppose Grimes's going over won't make much difference?"

"The blackguard! He'll take a hundred and fifty votes, I suppose;
perhaps more. But that is not much in such a constituency as the
Chelsea districts. You see, Travers played mean at the last election,
and that will be against him."

"But the Conservatives will have a candidate."

"There's no knowing; but I don't think they will. They'll try one
at the general, no doubt; but if the two sitting Members can pull
together, they won't have much of a chance."

Vavasor found himself compelled to say that he would stand; and
Scruby undertook to give the initiatory orders at once, not waiting
even till the Marquis should be dead. "We should have our houses open
as soon as theirs," said he. "There's a deal in that." So George
Vavasor gave his orders. "If the worst comes to the worst," he said
to himself, "I can always cut my throat."

As he walked from the attorney's office to his club he bethought
himself that that might not unprobably be the necessary termination
of his career. Everything was going wrong with him. His grandfather,
who was eighty years of age, would not die,--appeared to have no
symptoms of dying;--whereas this Marquis, who was not yet much over
fifty, was rushing headlong out of the world, simply because he was
the one man whose continued life at the present moment would be
serviceable to George Vavasor. As he thought of his grandfather he
almost broke his umbrella by the vehemence with which he struck it
against the pavement. What right could an ignorant old fool like that
have to live for ever, keeping the possession of a property which
he could not use, and ruining those who were to come after him? If
now, at this moment, that wretched place down in Westmoreland could
become his, he might yet ride triumphantly over his difficulties, and
refrain from sullying his hands with more of his cousin's money till
she should become his wife.

Even that thousand pounds had not passed through his hands without
giving him much bitter suffering. As is always the case in such
matters, the thing done was worse than the doing of it. He had taught
himself to look at it lightly whilst it was yet unaccomplished; but
he could not think of it lightly now. Kate had been right. It would
have been better for him to take her money. Any money would have