But little was got by this
move, for an answering placard explained to the unfortunate county
how deep would be its shame if it allowed itself to become the
appanage of any peer, but more especially of a peer who was known to
be the most immoral lord that ever disgraced the benches of the Upper
House. And so the battle went on very prettily, and, as money was
allowed to flow freely, the West Barsetshire world at large was not
ill satisfied. It is wonderful how much disgrace of that kind a
borough or county can endure without flinching; and wonderful, also,
seeing how supreme is the value attached to the Constitution by the
realm at large, how very little the principles of that Constitution
are valued by the people in detail. The duke, of course, did not show
himself. He rarely did on any occasion, and never on such occasions
as this; but Mr. Fothergill was to be seen everywhere. Miss
Dunstable, also, did not hide her light under a bushel; though I here
declare, on the faith of an historian, that the rumour spread abroad
of her having made a speech to the electors from the top of the porch
over the hotel door at Courcy was not founded on fact. No doubt she
was at Courcy, and her carriage stopped at the hotel; but neither
there nor elsewhere did she make any public exhibition.
Pages:
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845