were making their public demonstrations and canvassing the electors, as if thereby they exercised the slightest possible influence over one single elector on either side; as I have already intimated, the battle was being fought by two calm and crafty heads, in two snug and quiet little rooms in Grilston-one at the Hare and Hounds, the other at the Woodlouse Inn; of course, I mean Mr Crafty and Mr Gammon. The former within a very few hours saw that the issue of the struggle lay with the Quaint Club; and from one of his trusty emissaries—a man whom no one ever saw in communication with him, who was a mere stranger in Grilston, indifferent as to the result of the election, but delighting in its frolics, who was peculiarly apt to get sooner drunk than any one he drank with-Mr Crafty ascertained, that though the enlightened members of the Quaint Club had certainly formed a predilection for the principles of Mr Titmouse, yet they possessed a candour which disposed them to hear all that might be advanced in favour of the principles of his opponent.

Mr Crafty's first step was to ascertain what had been already done or attempted on behalf of Mr Delamere, and also of Mr Titmouse; then the exact number of the voters, whom he carefully classified. He found that there were exactly four hundred who might be expected to poll; the new electors amounting in number to one hundred and sixty, the old ones to two hundred and forty, and principally scot-and-lot voters. In due time he ascertained, that of the former class only thirty-six could be relied upon for Mr Delamere. The tenants of the Yatton property within the borough amounted to one hundred and fifteen. They had been canvassed by Mr Delamere and his friends with great delicacy; and twenty-three of them had voluntarily pledged themselves to vote for him, and risk all consequences; intimating that they hated and despised their new landlord as much as they had loved their old one, whose principles they understood to be those of Mr Delamere. Then there remained a class of " accessibles," (to adopt the significant language of Mr Crafty,) in number one hundred and twenty-five. These were persons principally resident in and near Yatton, subject undoubtedly to strong and direct influence on the part of Mr Titmouse, but still not absolutely at his command. Of these no fewer than seventy had

pledged themselves in favour of Mr Delamere; and, in short, thus stood Mr Crafty's calculations as to the probable force on

Now, of the class of accessibles twenty remained yet unpledged, and open to conviction; and, moreover, both parties had good ground for believing that they would all be convinced one wayi. e. towards either Mr Titmouse or Mr Delamere. Now, if the Quaint Club could be in any way detached from Mr Titmouse, it would leave him with a majority of seventeen only over Mr Delamere; and then, if by any means the twenty accessibles could be secured for Mr Delamere, he would be placed in a majority of three over his opponent. Whichever way they went, however, it was plain that the Quaint Club held the election in their own hands, and intended to keep it so. Gammon's calculations differed but slightly from those of Crafty; and thenceforth both directed their best energies towards the same point, the Quaint Club-going on all the while with undiminished vigour and assiduity with their canvass, as the best mode of diverting attention from their important movements, and satisfying the public that the only weapons with which the fight was to be won were-bows, smiles, civil speeches, placards, squibs, banners, and bands of music. Mr Crafty had received a splendid sum for his services from Lord De la Zouch; but on the first distinct and peremptory intimation from his lordship, being conveyed to him through Mr Delamere, that there was to be, bonâ fide, no bribery-and that the only funds placed at his disposal were those sufficient for the legitimate expenses of the election—he smiled rather bitterly, and sent off a secret express to Fotheringham, to ascertain for what his services had been engaged

since what was the use of going to Waterloo without powder ?— The answer he received was laconic enough, and verbatim as follows::

"No intimidation; no treating; no bribery; manœuvre as skilfully as you can; and watch the enemy night and day, so that the close of the poll may not be the close of the election, nor the victor there the sitting member."

of

To the novel, arduous, and cheerless duty, defined by this despatch from headquarters, Mr Crafty immediately addressed all his energies; and, after carefully reconnoitring his position, unpromising as it was, he did not despair of success. All his own voters had been gained, upon the whole, fairly. The thirty-six new voters had been undoubtedly under considerable influence, of an almost inevitable kind indeed-inasmuch as they consisted persons principally employed in the way of business by Lord De la Zouch, and by many of his friends and neighbours, all of whom were of his lordship's way of political thinking. Every one of the twenty-three tenants had given a spontaneous and cordial promise; and the seventy "accessibles" had been gained, after a very earnest and persevering canvass, by Mr Delamere, in company with others who had a pretty decisive and legitimate influence over them. The remaining twenty might, possibly, though not probably, be secured by equally unobjectionable means. That being the state of things with Delamere, how stood matters with Mr Titmouse? First and foremost, the Quaint Club had been bought at ten pounds a-head, by Gam—that was all certain. Crafty would also have bought them like a flock of sheep, had he been allowed, and would have managed matters most effectually and secretly; yet not more so than he found Mr Gammon had succeeded in doing: at all events, as far as he himself personally was concerned. In fact, he had foiled Mr Crafty, when that gentleman looked about in search of legal evidence of what had been done. Still, however, he did not despair of being able to perform a series of manœuvres which should secure one of the ends he most wished, in respect even of the Quaint Club. With equal good intentions, but actuated by a zeal that was not according to knowledge, some of Mr Gammon's coadjutors had not imitated his circumspection. Quite unknown to him, one or two of them had most fearfully committed him,

mon

themselves, and Mr Titmouse; giving Mr Gammon such accounts of their doings as should serve only to secure his applause for their tact and success. Before Mr Crafty they stood detected as blundering novices in the art of electioneering. A small tinker and brazier at Warkleigh had received, with a wink, ten pounds from a member of Mr Titmouse's committee, in payment of an old outstanding account-Heaven save the mark!—delivered in by him three years before, for mending pots, kettles, and saucepans, in the time of the Aubreys! The wife of a tailor at Grilston received the same sum for a fine tom-cat, which was a natural curiosity, since it could wink each eye separately and successively. A third worthy and independent voter was reminded that he had lent the applicant for his vote ten pounds several years before, and which that gentleman now took shame to himself, as he paid the amount, for having so long allowed to remain unpaid. Mr Barnabas Bloodsuck, with superior astuteness, gave three pounds a-piece to three little boys, sons of a voter, whose workshop overlooked Messrs Bloodsuck's back offices, on condition that they would desist from their trick of standing and putting their thumbs to their noses and extending their fingers towards him, as he sat in his office, and which had really become an insupportable nuisance. Here was, therefore, a valuable consideration for the payment, and bribery was out of the question. Such are samples of the ingenious devices which had been resorted to, in order to secure some thirty or forty votes ! In short, Mr Crafty caught them tripping in at least eleven clear, unquestionable cases of bribery, each supported by unimpeachable evidence, and each sufficing to void the election, to disqualify Mr Titmouse from sitting in that Parliament for Yatton, and to subject both him and his agents to a ruinous amount of penalties. Then, again, there were clear indications either of a disposition to set at defiance the stringent provisions of the law against TREATING, or of an ignorance of their existence. And as for freedom of election, scarcely ten of his tenants gave him a willing vote, or otherwise than upon compulsion, and after threats of raised rents or expulsion from farms. Tied as were Mr Crafty's hands, the Quaint Club became a perfect eyesore to him. He found means, however, to open a secret and confidential communication with them, and resolved to hold out to them dazzling

but indistinct hopes of pecuniary advantage from the regions of Fotheringham. His emissary soon got hold of the redoubtable Ben Bran, who, truth to say, had long been on the look-out for indications of the desired sort from the other side. As Bran was late one evening walking slowly alone along the high-road leading to York, he was accosted by a genteel-looking person, who spoke in a low tone, and whom Bran now recollected to have seen, or spoken to, before. "Can you tell me where lies the gold mine?" said the stranger; "at Fotheringham or Yatton?"and the speaker looked round, apprehensive of being overheard. Ben pricked up his ears, and soon got into conversation with the mysterious stranger; in the course of which the latter threw out, in a very significant manner, that “ a certain peer could never be supposed to send a certain near relative into the field, in order that that relative might be beaten, * * * and especially for want of a few pounds; and besides, my friend, when only— *- eh ?-* *the other side

*

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Why, who are you? Where do you come from?" enquired Ben, with a violent start.

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Dropped out of the moon," was the quiet and smiling

answer.

*

*

"Then I must say they know a precious deal," replied Ben, after a pause, "up there, of what's going on down here." "To be sure, every thing; every thing!" Here the stranger told Ben the precise sum which the club had received from Mr Gammon.

"Are we both-gentlemen ?" enquired the stranger earnestly. "Y-e-e-s, I hope so, sir," replied Ben hesitatingly. "And men of business-men of our word?"

"Honour among thieves-ay, ay," answered Ben in a still lower tone, and very eagerly.

"Then let you and me meet alone, this time to-morrow, at Darkling Edge; and by that time, do you see, turn this over in your mind," here the stranger twice held up both his hands, with outstretched thumbs and fingers. "Sure we understand each other?" added the stranger. Ben nodded, and they were presently out of sight of each other. The stranger gentleman pulled off his green spectacles, and also a pair of grey whiskers, and put both of them into his pocket. If any one attempted to dog him,