no THE LAND'S END 



almost to a man on the Liberal side, led by their 

 ministers, who were eagerly looking to have their 

 revenge on the Church ; while those on the land were, 

 despite their Methodism, on the other side, but with 

 small hopes of winning. They appeared to be in a 

 reticent and somewhat sullen humour : it was hard to 

 get a word out of them, but I one day succeeded 

 with a farmer I was slightly acquainted with. I found 

 him in a field mending a gate, and after telling him 

 the news and guessing what his politics were, I teased 

 him with little mocking remarks about the way things 

 electoral were going, until he was thoroughly aroused, 

 and burst out in a manner that fairly astonished me. 

 Yes, he was a Conservative, he angrily exclaimed. 

 Being on the land, what else could he be ? Only a 

 blind fool or a traitor to his fellows could be anything 

 different if he got his living from the land. He 

 didn't knaw the man as thought different to he. But 

 they the farmers were going to be beat, he knew 

 well enough. 'Twas bound to be, seeing the other 

 side had the numbers. They had the town people 

 small tradesmen, fishers, workmen and all them that 

 passed their time leaning against a wall with their 

 hands in their pockets the unemployed as they was 

 called now-days. We didn't use to call them that ! 

 The Liberals with their promises had got them on 

 their side. What did they think they'd get ? To 

 live without work ? That pay would be better, 

 clothes and food cheaper miners to get two pounds 

 a week, or three, 'stead of thirty shillings ; a fisher- 

 man to get twice as much for his fish, so that after a 



