Beauchamp's Career -- Volume 3

did the youngest of them enlarge his knowledge of his countrymen. But he had an insatiable appetite, and except in relation to Mr. Cougham, consider

the borough, and he inclined to administer correction to the Radically-disposed youngster. 'Yes, I have gone all over that,' he said, in speech sometimes, in manner perpetually, upon the intrusion of an idea by his junior. Cougham also, Cougham had passed through his Radical phase, as one does on the road to wisdom. So the frog telleth tadpoles: he to

icalism, spoken or performed, pulled Cougham on his beam-ends. Cougham, to right himself, defined his Liberalism sharply from the politics of the pit, pointed to France and her Revolutions, washed his hands of excesses, and entirely overset Beauchamp. Seeing that he stood in the Liberal interest, the junior could not abandon the Liberal flag; so he seized it and bore it ahead of the time, there where Radicals trip their phantom dances like shadows on a fog, and waved it as the very flag of our perfectible race. So great was

that the daring and the far-sighted course was often the most practical. Cougham exten

enior and junior Liberals was kn

y dear fellow, Miss Halkett was talking of you last night. I slept at Mount Laurels; went on purpose to have a peep. I'm bound for Itchincope. They've some grand procession in view there; Lespel wrote for my team; I suspect he's for starting some new October races. He talks of half-a-dozen drags. He must have lots of women there. I say, what a splendid creature Cissy Halkett has shot up! She topped the season this year, and will next. You're for the darkies, Beauchamp. So am I, when I don't see a b

sking Beauchamp what he wa

ators, to come and see something of canvassing. Lord Palmet had no obj

, I know thoroughly. Those Jutes have turned out some splendid fair women. Devonshire's worth a tour. My man Davis is in charge of my team

had not no

he should not have

he Upper House,' Beauchamp sa

ring jewels without chilling the feminine atmosphere about them. Fellows think differently.' Lord Palmet waved a hand expressive of purely amiable tolerance, for this question upon the most important topic of human affairs was deep, and no judgement should be hasty in settling it. 'I'm peculiar,' he resumed. 'A rose and a string of pearls: a

?' said B

have heard of her; a towering witch, an empress, Helen of Troy; though Ducie

the scroll of Fame. 'Did you see them toget

re yourself again, are you? Go to Paris

met: they weren

uck to meet them, so t

ce with eith

had, Palmet cried, 'Oh! for dancing

her often-mor

ere to see her: balls, theatres

up to the Italian, to c

ht and Day,-both hung with gold; the brunette Etruscan, and the blonde Asiatic

wouldn't be at the Tuileries?'

n? She's a darling! The Rastaglione was nothing to her. When you do light on a grand smoky pearl, the milky ones may go and decorate plaster. That's what I say of the l

I stop at,' said Beauchamp

d his arts of persuasion, requesting her to repeat his words to her husband. The contrast between Beauchamp palpably canvassing and

ent. A suavely smiling unctuous old gentleman advanced to them, bowing, and presuming thus far, he said, under the supposition that h

rom some Liberals I k

he leave it to the man of his choice at an

ur of the junior Liberal candidate's address, in which he professed to see ideas that distinguished it from the address of the sound but otherwise conventional Liberal, Mr. Cougham. He mu

took to be the old gentleman's until some of the apparatus of an Institute for literary and scientific instruction revealed itself to him, and he heard Mr. Tomlinson exalt the memory of one Wingham for the blessing bequeathed by him to the town of Bevisham. 'For,' sa

ies ranged along the top of the book-shelves to the cushioned cha

n silence to the busts, the books, and the range of scientific instruments, and directed

affable young lord-a proceeding marked by some of the dexterity he had once

we have classes in this country whose habitual levity sha

t look on them from the box-seats of a theatre,' said Beauchamp, 'h

d within the limits of our most excellent and approved Co

have a nation politically corrupt, you won't have a good state of morals in it

t, but felt keenly that the latter's presence desecrated Wingham's Institute, and he

very provincial town,' Palmet remar

ivil acknowledgement of

ponsive to the candidate's address of its own inspired motion; so Beau

, Captain Beaucha

fter Beauchamp

e bowing to that o

k about women?'

he place; the very place. Pastry-cooks' shops won't stand comparison with it. Don't tell me you 're the man not to see how much a woman prefers to be

ish him for having frozen the genial current of Mr. Tomlinson's vote and interest; and it may be that he clung to one who had, as he imagined, seen Renee. Accompanied by a Mr. Oggler, a tradesman of the town, on the Liberal committee, dressed in a pea-jacket and proudly nautical, they applied for the

ord Palmet to reconsider his verdict. She was addre

her, and of lingering behind t

p!' He stopped till the applicants descended the steps, with the voice of the voter ringing contempt as well as refusal in their ears; then continued: 'You introduced me

head,' said

man in her. You might take her for a younger sister of Mrs. Wardour-Devereux. Wh

are of herself,

at are her people? I'll run-from you, you know -and see her safe home. There's such an inferna

m firmly to the t

mp for a notorious Grand Turk exclusiveness and greediness in regard to women, as

f the American cities or watering-places, North or South? You would dance at a ball a dozen times with a girl engaged to a man-who drenched you with a tumbler at the hotel bar, and off you all marched to the sands and exchanged shots fro

And I ran away with th

didn't. There's the crue

rsion of the story. I never have fought a duel, and never will. Here we are at the shop of a toug

t his heart into what he

he people recreation

nds, puppet-shows, theatres, merry-go-rounds, bos

fraid we cannot ask yo

' Oggler sh

want the people

d, he would rather

emen enter to him recognized at once with a practised resignation that they had not come to order shoe-leather, though he would fain have shod them, being

sed to open museums on the Sabbath day. The striking simile of the thin end of the wedge was recurred to by him for a damning illustration. Captain Beauchamp might

e; it was a temptation of Satan that often in overcoming them was the cause of their flying back to grace: whereas museums a

your despotism farther still, and shut them out of every shop on Sundays, do you suppose you promote the spirit of worship? If you

re itself in passing of the overwhelming justice of the cause it pleads than to deceive the adversary. Brewers' beer and pu

Beauchamp's reply was vain to one whose argument was that he considered the people nearer to holiness in the: indulging of an evil propensity than in satisfying a harmless curiosity and getting a recreation. T

to were of one voice in objecting to the pothouse. He appealed to Ca

in this shop,'

g a child in her arms. She had a sad look, upon traces of a past fairness, vaguely like a snow landscape in the tha

he Lord's gift. Well, now, and I hate Sabbath-breakers; I would punish them; and I'm against the public-houses on a Sunday; but aboard my little yacht, say on a Sunday morning in the Channel, I don't forget I owe it to the Lord that he has been good enough to put me in the way of keeping a yacht; no; I read prayers to my crew, and a chapter in the Bible-Genesis, Deuteronomy, Kings, Acts, Paul, just as it comes. All's good that's there. Then we're free for the day! man, boy, and me; we cook our

d,' said Carpendike, li

is tenuity and the evident leaning of his appetites-one was for the barren black view of existence, the other for the fantastically brig

compliment, by assuring him that he was alto

the two or three things essential to his happiness; oth

s as many as you like. I'll make your faith active, if it's alive at all. You speak of the Lord loving his own; you make out th

r one shall combat it a

es like this fellow's have made the English

: 'The dog looks like a deadly fu

a post of danger, th

for my vote is the man who, when he was midshipman, saved the life of a relation of mine from death by drowning! my wife's first cousin, Johnny Brownson-and held him up four to five minutes in the water, and nev

favourable voter s

reasons of sentiment!'

women don't care uncommonly for the men who love them, thou

Renee: 'Look here, Palmet, you're too late for Itchincope, to-day; come and eat fish and meat with me at my hotel, and come to a meeting afte

t political women! And the Tories get the pick of the women. No, I don't think I 'll stay. Yes, I will; I'll go th

ke a speech f

it. But a dry speech, like leading them over the desert without a well to cheer them-no oasis, as we us

ng in the direction of Radicalism. 'I don't call furies Radicals.

nter way of spending an evening, so I'll try it. Nothing to repent of next morning! That's to be said for politics, Beauchamp, and I confess I'm rather jealous of you. A thoroughly good-looking girl who takes to a fellow for what he's doing in the world, must hav

called on. The first saw Beauchamp and refused him; the second d

ndidates, only one man made himself conspicuous, by premising that he had two important questions to ask, and he trusted C

ry camp, whence the placard allu

dies! I guessed it,

t one of them is a

much better, I reckon. Now, sir, may I ask yo

ot ask; you ta

Mr. Commander; if the upper classes want anything of me and come to me f

tion to a stup

s smoke there

book for the name of this man,

aid, and had barely said it when he remembered having spoken somewhat di

aracter for yourself, only I don't con

low,' said Oggler, bolder in taking up t

ry well, then so let our representatives be, I say. And if I hear nothing against your morals, Mr. Commander, I don't say you shan't have my vote. I mean t

have been kinde

led roguishly, to b

that fellow was to be taken for a

r. I know he's call

the preliminaries of the interview by saying that he was a four-o'clock man; i.e. th

been warned beforehand of the signification

honest fellow replied in th

ked attentive he was deeply studious. Her expression of fatigue under the sonorous ring of statistics poured out from Cougham was translated by Palmet into yawns and sighs of a profoundly fraternal sympathy. Her face quickened on the rising of Beauchamp to speak. She kept eye on him all the while, as Palmet, with the skill of an adept in disguising his petty larceny of the optics, did on her. Twice or thrice she looked pained: Beauchamp was hesitating for the word

to come second to him, and how am I to have a chance when he

ked the mann

turally; they want a re

imitation of

stressing any points, and Beauchamp was provoked to laug

tter troubled

ow who walked off

married; more 's the pity; he has a wi

ther! Where'

ll- intended, but wrong, I think. She's afraid that Dr. Shra

y let their women do!' He felt compelled to say, 'Odd for

y barbarous, Palmet. Why shouldn't she? Her uncle places his confidence in the man, and in her. Isn't that better-ten t

to say y

education for women is to tea

on't object, i

are absolutely unciviliz

sense, B

an idle aristocracy. You have no faith in t

he's marvellously pretty, to my mind. She looks a high-bred wench. Odd it is, Beauchamp, to see a lady's-maid now and then catch the style of my lady. No, by Jove! I've known one or two-you couldn't tell the difference! Not till you

d Lord Palmet

ar more. 'And never did a stroke of work in my life,' he said, speaking g

farcical sta

to put him at his ease, as well as to stamp something