THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



Raby ; ' and I must say I am somewhat surprised at his avowal 

 of being prepared to spend money for my return to Parliament, 

 for which I have no desire, and, moreover, I fear I should be of 

 little service to my country when I am there, having no turn 

 for politics.' 



' You will not stand alone in that respect,' observed Sir 

 Richard, ' for the business of the country is, and ever will be, 

 conducted b}' a few ; but as the effects of a good education 

 sometimes shine brilliantly when least expected, I see no 

 reason why you are not to take your part in the business of this 

 great country. Your poor uncle Beaumont would have made a 

 first-rate statesman, if he could have aroused himself into 

 action ; but want of energy is not your failing.' 



' Not in pursuits congenial to my taste,' replied Raby : ' no 

 man works harder than I do in the hunting season, but I 

 should not like to be shut up in the House till four o'clock in 

 the morning, and, perhaps, be put on a committee the same 

 day. Then only fancy half a dozen calls of the House in the 

 very best part of the hunting season ! ' 



To cut the matter short, we will at once proceed to the 

 nomination day, and, politics being inadmissible here, merely 

 give an outline of the proceedings, and jump at once to the 

 result. On a show of hands, a majority appeared for 

 Mr. Raby ; but the sugar-baker demanding a poll, instantly 

 addressed the electors, and with no small effect. He not only 

 promised them everything that a member of Parliament could 

 obtain for them, but, of course, a great deal more ; and what 

 was left undone by his purse, he endeavoured to effect by his 

 tongue. And in truth he was not deficient in the use of it ; 

 for, although his eloquence was of a noisy and boisterous 

 order, consisting more in the vehemence of his utterance, and 

 the violence of his action and gesture, than in the elegance of 

 his style, or the strength of his reasoning, he had a readiness 

 of wit, with a kind of low drollery, that took with the populace, 

 although with better judges it only passed for impudence and 

 buffoonery. On the other hand, the appearance and deport- 

 ment of his opponent were quite of a different order. He 

 simply thanked the electors for the preference they had given 

 him in that, the first stage of the contest — if contest it was 

 about to be — and assured them that, if they did him the 

 honour to elect him, he would endeavour to merit their 



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