Other
Read books online Ā» Other Ā» Framley Parsonage Anthony Trollope (best english novels for beginners .TXT) šŸ“–

Book online Ā«Framley Parsonage Anthony Trollope (best english novels for beginners .TXT) šŸ“–Ā». Author Anthony Trollope



1 ... 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 ... 204
Go to page:
during the whole of his political lifeā ā€”as, indeed, was to be expected, seeing that he had been the dukeā€™s nominee; but, nevertheless, on the present occasion, all the giants connected with the county came forward to his rescue. They did not do this with the acknowledged purpose of opposing the duke; they declared that they were actuated by a generous disinclination to see an old county member put from his seat;ā ā€”but the world knew that the battle was to be waged against the great Llama. It was to be a contest between the powers of aristocracy and the powers of oligarchy, as those powers existed in West Barsetshireā ā€”and, it may be added, that democracy would have very little to say to it, on one side or on the other. The lower order of voters, the small farmers and tradesmen, would no doubt range themselves on the side of the duke, and would endeavour to flatter themselves that they were thereby furthering the views of the liberal side; but they would in fact be led to the poll by an old-fashioned, time-honoured adherence to the will of their great Llama; and by an apprehension of evil if that Llama should arise and shake himself in his wrath. What might not come to the county if the Llama were to walk himself off, he with his satellites and armies and courtiers? There he was, a great Llama; and though he came among them but seldom, and was scarcely seen when he did come, neverthelessā ā€”and not the less but rather the moreā ā€”was obedience to him considered as salutary and opposition regarded as dangerous. A great rural Llama is still sufficiently mighty in rural England.

But the priest of the temple, Mr. Fothergill, was frequent enough in menā€™s eyes, and it was beautiful to hear with how varied a voice he alluded to the things around him and to the changes which were coming. To the small farmers, not only on the Gatherum property but on others also, he spoke of the duke as a beneficent influence, shedding prosperity on all around him, keeping up prices by his presence, and forbidding the poor rates to rise above one and fourpence in the pound by the general employment which he occasioned. Men must be mad, he thought, who would willingly fly in the dukeā€™s face. To the squires from a distance he declared that no one had a right to charge the duke with any interference;ā ā€”as far, at least, as he knew the dukeā€™s mind. People would talk of things of which they understood nothing. Could anyone say that he had traced a single request for a vote home to the duke? All this did not alter the settled conviction on menā€™s minds; but it had its effect, and tended to increase the mystery in which the dukeā€™s doings were enveloped. But to his own familiars, to the gentry immediately around him, Mr. Fothergill merely winked his eye. They knew what was what, and so did he. The duke had never been bit yet in such matters, and Mr. Fothergill did not think that he would now submit himself to any such operation.

I never heard in what manner and at what rate Mr. Fothergill received remuneration for the various services performed by him with reference to the dukeā€™s property in Barsetshire; but I am very sure that, whatever might be the amount, he earned it thoroughly. Never was there a more faithful partisan, or one who, in his partisanship, was more discreet. In this matter of the coming election he declared that he himselfā ā€”personally, on his own hookā ā€”did intend to bestir himself actively on behalf of Lord Dumbello. Mr. Sowerby was an old friend of his, and a very good fellow. That was true. But all the world must admit that Sowerby was not in the position which a county member ought to occupy. He was a ruined man, and it would not be for his own advantage that he should be maintained in a position which was fit only for a man of property. He knewā ā€”he, Fothergillā ā€”that Mr. Sowerby must abandon all right and claim to Chaldicotes; and if so, what would be more absurd than to acknowledge that he had a right and claim to the seat in Parliament? As to Lord Dumbello, it was probable that he would soon become one of the largest landowners in the county; and, as such, who could be more fit for the representation? Beyond this, Mr. Fothergill was not ashamed to confessā ā€”so he saidā ā€”that he hoped to hold Lord Dumbelloā€™s agency. It would be compatible with his other duties, and therefore, as a matter of course, he intended to support Lord Dumbello;ā ā€”he himself, that is. As to the dukeā€™s mind in the matterā ā€”! But I have already explained how Mr. Fothergill disposed of that.

In these days, Mr. Sowerby came down to his own houseā ā€”for ostensibly it was still his own houseā ā€”but he came very quietly, and his arrival was hardly known in his own village. Though his placard was stuck up so widely, he himself took no electioneering steps; none, at least, as yet. The protection against arrest which he derived from Parliament would soon be over, and those who were most bitter against the duke averred that steps would be taken to arrest him, should he give sufficient opportunity to the myrmidons of the law. That he would, in such case, be arrested was very likely; but it was not likely that this would be done in any way at the dukeā€™s instance. Mr. Fothergill declared indignantly that this insinuation made him very angry; but he was too prudent a man to be very angry at anything, and he knew how to make capital on his own side of charges such as these which overshot their own mark.

Mr. Sowerby came down very quietly to Chaldicotes, and there he remained for a couple of days, quite alone. The place bore a very different aspect now to that which we noticed when Mark Robarts drove up to it, in

1 ... 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 ... 204
Go to page:

Free ebook Ā«Framley Parsonage Anthony Trollope (best english novels for beginners .TXT) šŸ“–Ā» - read online now

Comments (0)

There are no comments yet. You can be the first!
Add a comment