It was the first public recognition of the position which for some time had been tacitly given to John Halifax in his own neighbourhood. Coming thus, from this upright and honourable old man, whose least merit it was to hold, and worthily, a baronetage centuries old, it made John"s cheek glow with an honest gratification and a pardonable pride.
"Tell her," he said to me, when, the meeting having dispersed, he asked me to ride home and explain the reason of his detention at Kingswell--"Tell my wife all. She will be pleased, you know."
Ay, she was. Her face glowed and brightened as only a wife"s can--a wife whose dearest pride is in her husband"s honour.
Nevertheless, she hurried me back again as quickly as I came.
As I once more rode up Kingswell Hill, it seemed as if the whole parish were agog to see the novel sight. A contested election! truly, such a thing had not been known within the memory of the oldest inhabitant.
The fifteen voters--I believe that was the number--were altogether bewildered by a sense of their own importance. Also, by a new and startling fact--which I found Mr. Halifax trying to impress upon a few of them, gathered under the great yew-tree in the churchyard--that a man"s vote ought to be the expression of his own conscientious opinion; and that for him to sell it was scarcely less vile than to traffic in the liberty of his son or the honour of his daughter. Among those who listened most earnestly, was a man whom I had seen before to-day--Jacob Baines, once the ringleader of the bread-riots, who had long worked steadily in the tan-yard, and then at the flour-mill. He was the honestest and faithfulest of all John"s people--ill.u.s.trating unconsciously that Divine doctrine, that often they love most to whom most has been forgiven.
The poll was to be held in the church--a not uncommon usage in country boroughs, but which from its rarity struck great awe into the Kingswell folk. The churchwarden was placed in the clerk"s desk to receive votes. Not far off, the sheriff sat in his family-pew, bare-headed; by his grave and reverent manner imposing due decorum, which was carefully observed by all except Lord Luxmore and Mr. Brithwood.
These two, apparently sure of their cause, had recovered their spirits, and talked and laughed loudly on the other side of the church. It was a very small building, narrow and cruciform; every word said in it was distinctly audible throughout.
"My lord, gentlemen, and my friends all," said Sir Ralph, rising gravely, "let me hope that every one will respect the sanct.i.ty of this place."
Lord Luxmore, who had been going about with his dazzling diamond snuff-box and equally dazzling smile, stopped in the middle of the aisle, bowed, replied, "With pleasure--certainly!" and walked inside the communion rail, as if believing that his presence there conveyed the highest compliment he could pay the spot.
The poll began in perfect silence. One after the other, three farmers went up and voted for Mr. Vermilye. There was snuff under their noses--probably something heavier than snuff in their pockets.
Then came up the big, grey-headed fellow I have before mentioned--Jacob Baines. He pulled his fore-lock to Sir Ralph, rather shyly; possibly in his youth he had made the sheriff"s acquaintance under less favourable circ.u.mstances. But he plucked up courage.
"Your honour, might a man say a word to "ee?"
"Certainly! but be quick, my good fellow," replied the baronet, who was noted for his kindly manner to humble folk.
"Sir, I be a poor man. I lives in one o" my lord"s houses. I hanna paid no rent for a year. Mr. Brown zays to me, he zays--"Jacob, vote for Vermilye, and I"ll forgive "ee the rent, and here be two pound ten to start again wi". So, as I zays to Matthew Hales (he be Mr.
Halifax"s tenant, your honour, and my lord"s steward ha" paid "un nigh four pound for his vote), I sure us be poor men, and his lordship a lord and all that--it"s no harm, I reckon."
"Holloa! cut it short, you rascal; you"re stopping the poll. Vote, I say."
"Ay, ay, "squire;" and the old fellow, who had some humour in him, pulled his hair again civilly to Mr. Brithwood. "Wait till I ha" got shut o" these."
And he counted out of his ragged pockets a handful of guineas. Poor fellow! how bright they looked; those guineas, that were food, clothing, life.
"Three was paid to I, two to Will Horrocks, and the rest to Matthew Hales. But, sir, we has changed our minds; and please, would "ee give back the money to them as owns it?"
"Still, my honest friend--"
"Thank "ee, Sir Ralph, that"s it: we be honest; we couldn"t look the master in the face else. Twelve year ago, come Michaelmas, he kept some on us from starving--may be worse. We bean"t going to turn rascals on"s hands now. Now I"ll vote, sir,--and it won"t be for Vermilye."
A smothered murmur of applause greeted old Jacob, as he marched back down the aisle, where on the stone benches of the porch was seated a rural jury, who discussed not over-favourably the merits of Lord Luxmore"s candidate.
"He owes a power o" money in Norton Bury--he do."
"Why doesn"t he show his face at the "lection, like a decent gen"leman?"
"Fear"d o" bailiffs!" suggested the one constable, old and rheumatic, who guarded the peace of Kingswell. "He"s the biggest swindler in all England."
"Curse him!" muttered an old woman. "She was a bonny la.s.s--my Sally!
Curse him!"
All this while, Lord Luxmore sat in lazy dignity in the communion-chair, apparently satisfied that as things always had been so they would continue to be; that despite the unheard-of absurdity of a contested election, his pocket-borough was quite secure. It must have been, to say the least, a great surprise to his lordship, when, the poll being closed, its result was found thus: Out of the fifteen votes, six were for Mr. Vermilye, nine for his opponent. Mr. Herbert Oldtower was therefore duly elected as member for the borough of Kingswell.
The earl received the announcement with dignified, incredulous silence; but Mr. Brithwood never spared language.
"It"s a cheat--an infamous conspiracy! I will unseat him--by my soul I will!"
"You may find it difficult," said John Halifax, counting out the guineas deposited by Jacob Baines, and laying them in a heap before Mr.
Brown, the steward. "Small as the number is, I believe any Committee of the House of Commons will decide that nine honester votes were never polled. But I regret, my lord--I regret deeply, Mr. Brithwood,"--and there was a kind of pity in his eye--"that in this matter I have been forced, as it were, to become your opponent. Some day, perhaps, you may both do me the justice that I now can only look for from my own conscience."
"Very possibly," replied the earl, with a satirical bow. "I believe, gentlemen, our business is ended for to-day, and it is a long drive to Norton Bury. Sir Ralph, might we hope for the honour of your company?
No? Good day, my friends. Mr. Halifax, your servant."
"One word, my lord. Those workmen of mine, who are your tenants--I am aware what usually results when tenants in arrear vote against their landlords--if, without taking any harsher measures, your agent will be so kind as to apply to me for the rent--"
"Sir, my agent will use his own discretion."
"Then I rely on your lordship"s kindliness--your sense of honour."
"Honour is only spoken of between equals," said the earl, haughtily.
"But on one thing Mr. Halifax may always rely--my excellent memory."
With a smile and bow as perfect as if he were victoriously quitting the field, Lord Luxmore departed. Soon not one remained of all those who had filled the church and churchyard, making there a tumult that is chronicled to this very day by some ancient villagers, who still think themselves greatly ill-used because the Reform Act has blotted out of the list of English boroughs the "loyal and independent" borough of Kingswell.
Sir Ralph Oldtower stood a good while talking with John; and finally, having sent his carriage on, walked with him down Kingswell Hill towards the manor-house. I, riding alongside, caught fragments of their conversation.
"What you say is all true, Mr. Halifax; and you say it well. But what can we do? Our English const.i.tution is perfect--that is, as perfect as anything human can be. Yet corruptions will arise; we regret, we even blame--but we cannot remove them. It is impossible."
"Do you think, Sir Ralph, that the Maker of this world--which, so far as we can see, He means like all other of His creations gradually to advance toward perfection--do you think He would justify us in p.r.o.nouncing any good work therein "impossible"?"
"You talk like a young man," said the baronet, half sadly. "Coming years will show you the world and the ways of it in a clearer light."
"I earnestly hope so."
Sir Ralph glanced sideways at him--perhaps with a sort of envy of the very youth which he thus charitably excused as a thing to be allowed for till riper wisdom came. Something might have smote the old man with a conviction, that in this youth was strength and life, the spirit of the new generation then arising, before which the old worn-out generation would crumble into its natural dust. Dust of the dead ages, honourable dust, to be reverently inurned, and never parricidally profaned by us the living age, who in our turn must follow the same downward path. Dust, venerable and beloved--but still only dust.
The conversation ending, we took our diverse ways; Sir Ralph giving Mr.
Halifax a hearty invitation to the manor-house, and seeing him hesitate, added, that "Lady Oldtower would shortly have the honour of calling upon Mrs. Halifax."
John bowed. "But I ought to tell you, Sir Ralph, that my wife and I are very simple people--that we make no mere acquaintances, and only desire friends."
"It is fortunate that Lady Oldtower and myself share the same peculiarity." And, shaking hands with a stately cordiality, the old man took his leave.
"John, you have made a step in the world to-day."
"Have I?" he said, absently, walking in deep thought, and pulling the hedge-leaves as he went along.