'Will he be returned?' she asked.
'From what we hear, we think not; I shall know more about it in an hour or two. At present I should not like to have to publish an opinion; but were I forced to bet, I would bet against him. Nobody is doing anything for him. There can be no doubt that his own party are ashamed of him. As things used to be, this would have been fatal to him at the day of election; but now, with the ballot, it won't matter so much. If I were a candidate, at present, I think I would go to bed on the last day, and beg all my committee to do the same as soon as they had put in their voting papers.'
'I am glad Felix did not go to Liverpool,' said Lady Carbury.
'It would not have made much difference. She would have been brought back all the same. They say Lord Nidderdale still means to marry her.'
'I saw him talking to her last night.'
'There must be an immense amount of property somewhere. No one doubts that he was rich when he came to England two years ago, and they say everything has prospered that he has put his hand to since. The Mexican Railway shares had fallen this morning, but they were at £15 premium yesterday morning. He must have made an enormous deal out of that.' But Mr Broune's eloquence on this occasion was chiefly displayed in regard to the presumption of Mr Alf. 'I shouldn't think him such a fool if he had announced his resignation of the editorship when he came before the world as a candidate for parliament. But a man must be mad who imagines that he can sit for Westminster and edit a London daily paper at the same time.'
'Has it never been done?'
'Never, I think;--that is, by the editor of such a paper as the "Pulpit." How is a man who sits in parliament himself ever to pretend to discuss the doings of parliament with impartiality? But Alf believes that he can do more than anybody else ever did, and he'll come to the ground. Where's Felix now?'
'Do not ask me,' said the poor mother.
'Is he doing anything?'
'He lies in bed all day, and is out all night.'
'But that wants money.' She only shook her head. 'You do not give him any?'
'I have none to give.'
'I should simply take the key of the house from him,--or bolt the door if he will not give it up.'