Old Bravo, whose friends had not been slow in proposing him, was highly complimented for his learning, and the depth of his political researches; but his known antipathy to the rules of grammar, together with the uncivilized use which he was wont to make of the eternal quid he bore in his mouth, rendered him ineligible in the consideration of these fastidious electors. After many fruitless proposals, all eyes were turned on Albert Moonshine, whose disinterested conduct in rejecting the advances of Priminheere had been the subject of great approbation, and to him, therefore, it was decided to apply. Not but that old Bravo remonstrated against the choice of an unsensible dolt, as he termed the heir of Moonshine Hall: this declaration of incompetency availed the old soldier nothing, for Moonshine was a gentleman, "and a great gentleman was Master Albert, too," said Carl Jones; so that Mortimer was required to fix the day, and Albert was obliged to learn the part allotted to him, together with all the qualifications necessary upon the occasion. Never had the young squire abstained so long from his customary chair at Boniface's as at this juncture, for his mother had duly impressed her son with the importance of his function, and as the duty he had to perform was entirely foreign to the habits of his life, his labours were proportionably excessive.

The important morning at length came, and the electors were assembled at an early hour. It had been put to the vote, and carried, that the procession should advance through the village, with flags and music, in spite of Mr. Priminheere's threats, that the party must hold themselves responsible for a breach of the public peace. Utterly regardless of these admonitions, which old Bravo had assured them were contrary to the law and the constitution, the deputation moved boldly forward, amidst the vociferating cheers of the accompanying throng. But they had hardly attained to the heart of the village, when James Priminheere rode up with several magistrates and officers in his train, and demanded the occasion of the disturbance.

"No disturbance at all!" cried old Bravo, with a voice of thunder.

"That bullying will not convince the magistrates,' coolly observed Priminheere.

"Mr. Moonshine," continued he, "I am sorry to notice you at the head of this gang.'

"Gang! did you say?" roared out Bravo.

"Officers," said Priminheere, quite unmoved;"you must now do your duty; you must secure this gentleman," pointing to Moonshine, "and that man with the tobacco in his mouth.' The last was old Bravo.

"And, officers, now I will tell you your duty!" exclaimed Bravo; "and that is just to leave me and this gentleman alone; you touch us at your peril."

Great agitation now prevailed amongst the throng, which was increasing, and pressed upon the officers; and no sooner had the latter advanced towards Albert, than an universal and menacing sound of indignation burst forth in every quarter.

“Down with the false Calvinist! down with the newfangled Churchman!" exclaimed one more daring than his fellows.

"Seize him," vociferated Priminheere, turning rapidly round to detect the offender.

"Seize him for what, I should be glad to know?" cried the old soldier; "a man has a right to speak in this wide world."

The officers had now possessed themselves of their prisoners, who surrendered without resistance, and were conveying them through the village, amidst the incessant yells of the multitude; when old Mr. Stedfast, a retired attorney, came out of his house, in great alarm, and bustled towards the magistrates, by whom he was instantly recognised. This gentleman had acquired a sufficient fortune to warrant him in enlarging an ancient dwelling hard by, adding a flight of handsome stone steps to it, and creating a neat circular gravel walk, with a grass-plot and an hour-glass in the middle. His opinion was always esteemed sound on constitutional questions, as he had shown upon the occasion of quartering some soldiers in the county town during the assizes; and as he was a foe to uproar of every kind, he now hastened forth to question the reason of that day's disturbance. Without heeding the tattle of a hundred misleading gossips, he applied himself to the justices, who were riding onward in triumph, and having obtained a faithful history of the transaction, declared, without ceremony or respect of persons, that the capture

of the deputies was most illegal. The blood of the old veteran Bravo seemed to be quite aroused at this announcement, and he eagerly pressed forward to shake hands with the defender of his rights. But Mr. Stedfast calmly informed the magistrates, "that he was no friend to turbulent meetings, as they well knew, and that if he had heard any thing on that day indicative of a riotous disposition, he should have said, 'Let the law take its course.' Here, however, was an assemblage of men, claiming the birthright of every Englishman, namely, meeting for a constitutional purpose. They had a right to go up with an address to the defeated candidate, and he regretted that the peace of his native village should have been so unreasonably broken.

"We break the peace?" exclaimed Priminheere; "take care what you say, Sir."

"Now stop, Mr. Priminheere,' "observed Colonel Honeyblood, one of the magistrates; "for my part, I always thought that you were going too far; and after what Mr. Stedfast has been kind enough to tell us, I really think, considering his years and experience, that he must know what is legal and what not."

"And so you will desert the cause?" inquired Priminheere.

"Our cause is no other than our duty," rejoined the Colonel. "What say you, gentlemen?" he added, addressing himself to the other justices.

"It is a difficult question, "observed one of those appealed to," particularly as we have gone so far: if it had not been for Mr. Stedfast's opinion, I should have said we ought to have gone on; but for my part, I think we had better not proceed now without further advice. What say you, Sir?" continued the justice, addressing his neighbour.

"Why, faith," exclaimed the worthy man, "I should hardly have thought that a man of Mr. Priminheere's reading would have got us into such a scrape as this; but I confess, that I see the matter in the same light that you do now.

"And you, Sir?" asked Colonel Honeyblood of the remaining magistrate, "may we have the benefit of your opinion?"

"Oh! I think with the majority," said the gentleman appealed to.

4

Upon which the Colonel courteously turned to Priminheere, and said, that it was clear now that they had been rather too sanguine, and that the prisoners must be released. 1

"Very well, gentlemen, this must be upon your own responsibility," answered Priminheere, urging his horse at the same time rapidly from the scene of action.

"Now, I hope that you will all return quietly to your own homes," said the Colonel; "and, gentlemen," he added, addressing the deputation, "if you will take the advice of a friend, you probably will give up this expedition which has made such an uproar to-day."

وو

"It is you who have made the uproar, vociferated Bravo, as the Colonel departed with his friends, discharging at the same time a volley of substantial abuse against the crest-fallen magistracy,

"What are to be the damages of false imprisonment?" cried the veteran again with an air of triumph, as he waved his hand for the procession to move on, "Three cheers for Mr. Stedfast, my lads."

Instantly the welkin rang with acclamations in honour of the constitutional lawyer, who, however, had retreated already from the field of honour, having slipped unperceived through the crowd.

Mortimer was prepared for the mark of attention which was designed him, and received the select party with great urbanity. But the spokesman of the day was by no means so ready with his lesson. It is charitable to suppose that the novelty of his situation operated more powerfully upon him than the danger from which he had just escaped. The people assembled to do Mortimer homage, had now surrounded him with the mien of men who delighted to honour, and all eyes were cast upon the Squire, the chosen mouth-piece of their flatteries. But Nature would not stand Albert's friend, and he could not borrow at that awful instant the wit and intellect of old Bravo. Something he knew must be done, and that very presently; but what could be effected without speech or memory, and neither the one nor the other helped the Squire in this pressing hour of need. An ungracious silence reigned. Mortimer, overflowing with politeness, lent a condescending ear to the expected effusion; the group around stood waiting with patient dignity; and now Moonshine was just elevating his voice

with the word, Sir, dropping from his lips, when a loud and heartfelt, Oh! burst from some rude visiter in the rear. This was no other than old Bravo himself, who perceiving the disaster which he had anticipated, vented forth his feelings without the hesitation of a second. This horrid ejaculation, too, happened to fall contemporaneously with whispers of Hush, hush! which broke forth from Moonshine's immediate neighbours at the instant of his raising the syllable, Sir.

Hopeless as the intellectual condition of Albert was at the commencement of the interview, this most unkind and ill-seasoned hint entirely chased away the slender force which might yet have rallied and redeemed him from disgrace. But the last chance had fled, and he now stood gazing on vacancy, bereft of recollection and childish from apprehension.

It is impossible to say how long this mortifying scene would have continued, had not the old soldier walked boldly up to the seat of audience. Pulling forth his quid from a mouth whose varied hues were not extremely pleasing, and spitting at the same moment on the carpet beneath, to the infinite horror of his companions, he delivered an address of congratulation to Mortimer without tripping in a syllable, and having finished a string of fluent compliments, amongst which the most knotty points of politics took the foremost rank, he quietly resumed his everlasting tobacco, and retreated within the centre of the circle. Mortimer's reply, uttered without premeditation, was elegant though pithy, and at its close the party were invited to a repast which had been fondly anticipated by several as the most useful part of the ceremony.

Flushed with the congratulations which he had received, and emancipated for a time from the pains of reflection, Mortimer took courage, after the departure of the deputation; to open a sealed packet which had been forwarded to him from the office of Messrs. Soland and Co. He knew the nature of its contents sufficiently well, but the immense calamity which he had sustained at Newmarket had admonished him, when too late, of his desperate condition, and the parcel remained till now unopened.

A few hundreds more, he thought, as he hastily detached the seal. Within were several delicately folded