1 68 A FARMER'S YEAR 



sequel: the social success and the public banquet in the City; 

 the advertised subscriptions and the Knighthood ; the thumping 

 party cheques, and perchance, with good luck, the Peerage. Thus 

 another constellation blazes in the fetid firmament of lucre, and 

 longer grows the roll of its aristocracy. 



Worship him, the Right Honourable the Lord Mountmagnate 

 of Mountmagnate, the finest of our new nobility, and understand 

 that money is a defence indeed. Listen to his glad continual 

 song, the paean he puts up to Heaven as he treads his fallen fellow- 

 travellers into the mire of the universal Way, rejoicing over them 

 with the joy of harvest and as men rejoice when they divide the 

 spoil. Bow the knee you honest, outworn workers, whose antlike 

 toil built up his millions ; you, too, who are sodden witted with 

 his adulterated drink ; you also whose shares he captured in the 

 panic upon the day of the False Cable; and, above all, you whose 

 child was poisoned by his preserved fruits or milk or fishes. Praise 

 him on his palm-hung, marbled Ijalcony, and then back to your 

 'bus, if you can pay tlie fare, and home to wonder why benighted 

 foreign nations think the English hypocritical, and whether a 

 graduated income-ta.x would after all be so monstrously unjust. 

 For the world, especially the British world, is to the rich and the 

 good things thereof. Therefore grow rich — as best you can. At 

 the least, thus by precept and example preacheth the triumphant 

 Lord Mountmagnate of Mountmagnate and his peers. 



The gentleman who is opposing Mr. Holmes is Mr. Soames, 

 who contested Ipswich at the last election. I understand that he 

 has never been in this division before, and has no property here. 

 Whatever happens, this will, I think, tell in his favour. There is 

 no doubt that, looking at the matter from the point of view of a 

 Unionist, the time is peculiarly ill-chosen to contest the seat, as, 

 outside of any personal considerations, the rise in the price ot 

 bread and the widespread dissatisfaction with the Chinese policy 

 of the Government, which will affect the intelligent class of out- 

 voters adversely, are sure to tell against our candidate. Further, 

 the reduction of the duty on tobacco, that has just been 



