'No such thing! If there is an honest man in England it is the Duke of Omnium, and when he says a thing he means it.Left to themselves the people of a little town like Silverbridge are sure to return a Conservative.They are half of them small farmers, and of course will go that way if not made to go to the other.
If the club mean to pay the cost--'
'The club will pay nothing, papa.'
'Then I can only hope that Lopez is doing well in his business!'
After that nothing further was said about the election, but she perceived that her father was altogether opposed to the idea of her husband being in Parliament, and that his sympathies and even his wishes were on the other side.When Mrs Roby suggested that it would be a very nice thing for them all to have Ferdinand in Parliament,--she always called him Ferdinand now,--Mr Wharton railed at her.'Why should it be a nice thing? I wonder whether you have any idea of a meaning in your head when you say that.
Do you suppose that a man gets 1000 pounds a year by going into Parliament?'
'Laws, Mr Wharton; how uncivil you are! Of course I know that members of Parliament aren't paid.'
'Where's the niceness then? If a man has his time at his command and has studied the art of legislation it be nice, because he will be doing his duty;--or if he wants to get into the government ruck like your brother-in-law, it may be nice;--or if he be an idle man with a large fortune it may be nice to have some place to go.But why should it be nice for Ferdinand Lopez.
I cannot understand.Everett has some idea in his head when he talks about Parliament,--though I cannot say that I agree with him.' It may easily be understood that after this Emily would say nothing further in Manchester Square as to her husband's prospects at Silverbridge.
Lopez was at Silverbridge for a couple of days, and then returned, as his wife thought, by no means confident of success.
He remained in town nearly a week, and during that time he managed to see the Duchess.He had written to her saying that he would do himself the honour of calling on her, and when he came was admitted.But the account he gave to his wife of the visit did not express much satisfaction.It was quite late in the evening before he told her whither he had been.He had intended to keep the matter to himself, and at last spoke of it,--guided by the feeling which induces all men to tell their secrets to their wives,--because it was a comfort to him to talk to someone who would not openly contradict him.'She's a sly creature after all,' he said.
'I had always thought that she was too open rather than sly,'
said his wife.
'People always try to get a character just opposite to what they deserve.When I hear that a man is always to be believed, I know that he is the most dangerous liar going.She hummed and hawed and would not say a word about the borough.She went so far as to tell me that I wasn't to say a word about it to her.'
'Wasn't that best if her husband wished her not to talk of it?'
'It is all humbug and falsehood to the very bottom.She knows that I am spending money about it, and she ought to be on the square with me.She ought to tell me what she can do and what she can't.When I asked her whether Sprugeon might be trusted, she said that she really wished I wouldn't say anything more to her about it.I call that dishonest and sly.I shouldn't at all wonder but that Fletcher has been with the Duke.If I find that out, won't I expose them both!'
