'It would make no difference in the world to me,' said Arthur, struggling hard to prevent signs of emotion from showing themselves in his face, 'were it not that he has married a lady whom I have long known and whom I greatly esteem.' He felt that he could hardly avoid all mention of the marriage, and yet he was determined that he would say no word that his brother would call 'howling'.
'There has been no previous quarrel, or offence?' asked Gresham.
'None in the least.' When Arthur so spoke he forgot altogether the letter he had written; nor, had he then remembered it, would he have thought it possible that that letter should have given offence.He had been the sufferer, not Lopez.This man had robbed him of his happiness; and, though it would have been foolish in him to make a quarrel for a grievance such as that, there might have been some excuse had he done so.It had taken him some time to perceive that greatly as this man had injured him, there had been no injustice done to him, and that therefore there should be no complaint made by him.But that this other man should complain was to him unintelligible.
'He is not worth your notice,' said Mr Gresham.'He is simply not a gentleman, and does not know how to behave himself.I am very sorry for the young lady;--that's all.' At this allusion to Emily Arthur felt his face become red with rising blood; and he felt also that his friend should not have spoken thus openly, --this irreverently,--on so sacred a subject.But at the moment he said nothing further.As far as his canvass was concerned it had been successful, and he was beginning to feel sure that he would be the new member.He endeavoured therefore to drown his sorrow in this coming triumph.
But Lopez had been by no means gratified with his canvass or with the conduct of the borough generally.He had already begun to feel that the Duchess and Mr Sprugeon and the borough had thrown him over shamefully.Immediately on his arrival in Silverbridge a local attorney had with the blandest possible smile asked him for a cheque for 500 pounds.Of course there must be money spent at once, and of course the money must come out of the candidate's pocket.He had known all this beforehand, and yet the demand for the money had come upon him as an injury.He gave the cheque, but showed clearly by his manner that he resented the application.This did not tend to bind him more closely to the services of those who were present when the demand was made.And then, as he began his canvass, he found that he could not conjure at all with the name of the Duke, or even with that of the Duchess; and was told on the second day by Mr Sprugeon himself that he had better fight the battle 'on his own hook'.Now his own hook in Silverbridge was certainly not a strong hook.Mr Sprugeon was still of the opinion that a good deal might be done by judicious manipulation, and went so far as to suggest that another cheque for 500 pounds in the hands of Mr Wise, the lawyer, would be effective.But Lopez did not give the other cheque, and Sprugeon whispered to him that the Duke had been too many for the Duchess.Still he had persevered, and a set of understrappers around him, who would make nothing out of the election without his candidature, assured him from time to time that he would even as yet come out all right at the ballot.
But, on the morning of the day on which he met Fletcher in the street, Mr Du Boung had called upon him accompanied by two of the Du Boung agents and by Mr Sprugeon himself,--and had suggested that he, Lopez, should withdraw from the contest, so that Du Boung might be returned, and that the 'liberal interests' of the borough might not be sacrificed.
This was a heavy blow, and one which Ferdinand Lopez was not the man to bear with equanimity.From the moment in which the Duchess had mentioned the borough to him, he had regarded the thing as certain.After a while he had understood that his return must be accompanied by more trouble and greater expense than he had at first anticipated;--but still he had thought that it was all but sure.He had altogether misunderstood the nature of the influence exercised by the Duchess, and the nature also of the Duke's resolution.Mr Sprugeon had of course wished to have a candidate, and had allured him.Perhaps he had in some degree been ill-treated by the borough.But he was a man, whom the feeling of injustice to himself would drive him almost to frenzy, though he never measured the amount of his own injustice to others.When the proposition was made to him, he scowled at them all, and declared that he would fight the borough to the last.
'Then you'll let Mr Fletcher in to a certainty.'said Mr Sprout.
Now there was an idea in the borough that, although all the candidates were ready to support the Duke's government, Mr Du Boung and Mr Lopez were the two Liberals.Mr Du Boung was sitting in the room when the appeal was made, and declared that he feared that such would be the result.'I'll tell you what I'll do,' said Lopez.'I'll toss up which of us retires.' Mr Sprout, on behalf of Mr Du Boung, protested against that proposition.Mr Du Boung, who was a gentleman of great local influence, was in possession of four-fifths of the liberal interests in the borough.Even were he to retire, Mr Lopez could not get in.Mr Sprout declared that this was known to all the borough at large.He, Sprout, was sorry that a gentleman like Mr Lopez should have been brought down there under false ideas.He had all through told Mr Sprugeon that the Duke had been in earnest, but Mr Sprugeon had not comprehended the position.It had been a pity.But anybody who understood the borough could see with one eye that Mr Lopez had not a chance.If Mr Lopez would retire Mr Du Boung would no doubt be returned.If Mr Lopez went to the poll, Mr Fletcher would probably be the new member.