your town in parliament. How very bad must
be a case which the advocates of its party cannot
deny or even palliate. What I grieve for is the fact
that all the London correspondent of your
contemporary has said about one of the candidates for
Northenville is but too true, and, I am sorry to say,
but too well known to all men who mix in London
society; but still I deprecate this opening up of
private scandals, which can do no possible good by
exposure, and must hurt the feelings of friends and
relatives greatly. Why the Independent should
damage the interests of its own candidate by raking
up tales which, although true, would be better
buried in oblivion, is more than I can imagine. Of
course, Captain Streatham's chance of getting in for
Northenville is now gone for ever."

An open attack upon the gallant captain from
our columns would have done his cause good
rather than otherwise. A covert hint that what
had been said of him was true, but that our
correspondent did not approve of this mode
of showing up a man's private affairs, was a
masterpiece of policy. But I had not yet played
my last trump card.

The other side tried very hard indeed to find
out who had dealt them such a blow as getting
command of the London correspondence of their
paper for the day, and whisking the editor off to
London at the same time. But it was of no
use. They suspected us all—they of course
suspected me—but no trace could they find.
And indeed Mr. Dane, unwittingly, did his best
to hinder the discovery. The first thing be did
after reading the damaging London letter in his
own paper, was to write and tell Dan O'Rind
that before leaving town he ought to have made
over the London correspondence of the Northenville
Independent to some person who was not
merely competent to conduct it, but who would
not have put himself to do the enemy's work in
their political camp. "The injury you have
done the paper," continued Mr. Dane in his
letter, "is irreparable, and I should not be
doing my duty to my supporters in this town
if I suffered you to retain any longer the position
of our London correspondent. I therefore beg
to enclose a cheque for the money due to you,
and to state that any further communications
from yourself or any of your friends will not be
used."

This letter—knowing both the handwriting
and the postmark—I of course opened in
O'Rind's chambers in Costs-court. I kept it
by me for a day or two until my plans were
fully matured, and then forwarded it to O'Rind
at Vienna, enclosing him a draft for fifty pounds,
begging him to give up all further research for
the present, and to come home at once.

Three or four days before the nomination of
candidates was to take place, the good people
of Northenville were astonished by the appearance
of an address from a third gentleman who
offered himself as a candidate for the honour of
representing Northernville in parliament.
These addresses were signed "D. O'Rind," and
were dated from "Costs-court, Middle Temple,
London." The writer professed to come
forward on the purest principles of the Carmine
party, and in everything he proposed for the
future government of the country he went at
least a hundred yards beyond Captain Streatham.
His address—I wrote it myself for him—
denounced our party in the most unmeasured
terms, but at the same time spoke very bitterly
of "bloated aristocrats" who, because they or
their relations have interests in the county,
attempt like wolves in sheep's clothing to get
into the fold, and call themselves Carmine,
when they are neither more nor less than a
bad Mauve. Better far, said this unflinching
friend of the people, better far to vote for a
real outstanding Mauve like Mr. Mellam, than
for a half and half aristocrat like Captain
Streatham.

"Divide and conquer" was my policy. I saw
that Mr. Mellam's only chance was to divide
the opposite party; and by causing them to
split their votes, we had every chance of
winning. O'Rind was delighted at the chance of
getting into parliament, small although that
chance was. I offered to pay all his expenses,
provided he would keep the thing quiet, and
made good to him tenfold more than he had lost
by having to give up the London correspondence
of the Northenville Independent. He entered
fully into the spirit of the affair, and began his
canvassing in earnest. Had he been brought
forward at the commencement of the battle, we
should have gained little or nothing by his help.
But as it was, coming as he did immediately
after the letter which damaged Captain Streatham's
chance so much, a number of people
promised him their votes. He had a way of
canvassing and talking people over, which did
him infinite credit. At talking about children,
noticing all the little boys and girls in the
place, making boon companions of any one
and every one who could be of the slightest
use to him, he was almost as good as Captain
Streatham himself. The Northenville
Independent was of course furious. The Carmine
party, it declared, was throwing away its best
chance of representing Northenville. To divide
that party, and split up the votes, was utter
madness, and was playing the game of the
Mauves. The Mercury abused Captain Streatham
and Mr. O'Rind alike, but of course saw
that they were playing our game, and paving
the road for our success. O'Rind had no local
print in which to advocate his own election,
but his old colleagues in the Evening Damager
were faithful to him, and every morning that
paper used to arrive from London containing
something or other in praise of the "only real
independent candidate for the town of
Northenville."

There was one person mixed up with this
election who certainly bore me no kindly feeling;
that was Lady Vance. She firmly believed
—and I won't say that she was not right—that
had it not been for my management of Mr.
Mellam's business, her brother would, as he
used to say himself, have won the race in a
canter. Her ladyship was far too old a hand
at electioneering work not to see through the