burden and injury upon you? The game then is in your own hands, and if you will madly persist in sending Lords, and the relations of lords, as your representatives to parliament, in preference to honest men, who are able and willing, and have every inducement to support the people's cause, you deserve to be treated as slaves, and to be made sweat for the good of your masters." Vociferous applause.

CHAPTER X.

ABOUT an hour after the business of the day was closed, while Paulet and I were were sitting together at his hotel, a Major Dugdale, with whom we were unacquainted, sent in his compliments, and requested the honour of a few minutes conversation with Mr. Paulet. He followed upon the servant's heels, and was ushered into the room accordingly. I guessed in a moment who he was, and what was his business.

"I have waited upon you, Mr. Paulet," said Major Dugdale, who was a person of very gentlemanly address, "by request of Mr. Armstrong, who has been persuaded to hope that you may still be induced to afford him some satisfactory explanation of the language which you applied to him this morning on the hustings, in order to avert the consequences.

"I beg Major Dugdale's pardon," interrupted Paulet, "but a moment's reflection must show him how utterly impossible it is for me to suffer any consideration of personal consequences to affect what I said. It is painful to me to insist upon such a topic, and perhaps, Sir, it will suit you better to discuss the matter with my friend Sir Matthew Sydenham, who is in possession of my sentiments, and I am sure will have the kindness to act in my behalf." So saying, he bowed to Major Dugdale, and left the room.

"I wish this affair could be accommodated, Sir Matthew," said Mr. Armstrong's friend.

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You cannot wish it, Sir, more sincerely than I do; but if your friend is determined to take hostile notice of the expressions used, I see no chance of avoiding a meeting, for Mr. Paulet is inflexible."

“Then I really am afraid there is no chance of an amicable arrangement, for you must be aware, that on the part of my principal, I could not accept anything less than an explanation as public as the offensive expressions."

"Of course you could not, Sir; but that is a proposal which I could not take upon me to offer to my friend."

"Then, Sir Matthew, I'm afraid it only remains for us to settle the preliminaries of a meeting." I bowed in assent, and we proceeded to business. It was decided that the meeting should take place the following morning, at a lonely spot about five miles distant from the town where the election was held.

When I reported the result of our brief conference to Paulet, he manifested some emotion. "Should this affair be fatal to me," said he, "what will become of Jane and Alice! In that event, Sydenham, I rely upon your friendship and discretion, to take care that the news should not reach them suddenly, especially Jane; for an unprepared disclosure might kill her, or turn her brain. My sister has more strength, and would not be so immediately overpowed by the intelligence."

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My dearest friend," said I, "I pray you not to anticipate such a calamity; the affair will, in all probability, end without any serious consequence."

"No, Sydenham," he replied, "I do not by any means suppose that the event to which I allude will be a probable consequence of our meeting; but as it is possible, I should be guilty of culpable neglect in not providing for it."

He then expressed his wishes, and gave his directions how I should act in case of his fall; but his great anxiety was about his wife and sister. I could not help saying I thought it was to be regretted that he had used expressions, which, however morally justifiable, must almost necessarily provoke hostility; and I likewise took the freedom of giving him my opinion, that he might subsequently have afforded some explanation, which would not, in any degree, have compromised his honour, while it would have relieved Armstrong from the necessity of making it a personal matter. He would not, however, admit that he had done wrong. fact," said he, "I felt it incumbent upon me to say what I did; and if I were placed in the same situation to-morrow, I could not avoid taking the same course. The very ground upon which I came forward to oppose him, was his having joined a dishonest and incapable administration. He then calls upon me to neutralize what I said by a flimsy evasion, which if any consideration could have induced me to do, I had the strongest motives for avoiding this extremity. Truth, my dearest friend, must be maintained at any sacrifice."

"In

We parted early in the evening, as he wished to be left

alone, to prepare the usual writings in contemplation of a fatal issue to this unfortunate quarrel. I, on my part, had arrangements to make likewise, and with some secrecy, that no obstacle to a meeting might occur on our side; being aware, by the observations which I had heard made on the hustings, that there was an apprehension of hostile intentions, on the parts of the rival candidates, from what had passed between them; and Paulet had been urgent with me to take every precaution to avoid the interposition of the civil power. I sent Pearson for a pair of duelling-pistols, which were at the Lodge; and under the direction of that discreet and trusty servant, I ordered my carriage and a pair of horses to be in waiting at a house about a mile and a half out of the town, on the road to the place of rendezvous, at half-past seven o'clock in the morning, the meeting being appointed for eight.

Although I will not presume to say that my feelings on this occasion were of the same degree of intensity as those which agitated my principal, they were of the same kind, namely, a consideration of the misery in which those dear relatives would be involved, should the event be fatal to a beloved husband and brother. I do not suppose that my nobleminded friend was stoic enough to be utterly regardless of himself; but of this I am sure, that the idea of losing him, and in such a manner, was far more afflicting to me than the contemplation of his own death, as respected himself individually. All his thoughts were engrossed by those dear objects, who were happily then unconscious of his situation. At the same time, I indulged sanguine hopes that, even yet, Major Dugdale and I might be able to settle the affair, if not amicably, at least without having recourse to the duello; notwithstanding I was aware of the uncompromising spirit of Paulet, and I was determined to guard, with scrupulous delicacy, the sacred trust which was confided to me-my friend's honour. When abroad, I had been engaged in three of these affairs, once as a principal, and twice as a second; and on this occasion, for the first time, I felt really nervous.

In the morning, as we were walking to the place where we were to meet the carriage, I asked Paulet whether he had much practice with the pistol, as his antagonist had the reputation of being a crack shot. He answered that he had never fired a duelling-pistol in his life. "As for practising, for the purpose of acquiring the skilful use of the weapon,'

said he, "I really do not understand how any gentleman can reconcile it to his honour and conscience. In my opinion, such a practice properly belongs to the education of a ruffian or an assassin."

I was silent, for I could not agree with him in his severe censure upon that, of which I myself had been guilty; nor, indeed, could I offer anything in defence of the practice, which certainly is inhuman and ungentlemanly, if not cowardly. We reached the ground a few minutes before the other party, who very politely apologized for having kept us waiting. A conference immediately took place between Major Dugdale and myself; he like an honourable and sensible man, very anxious to settle the matter peaceably, and said that he was empowered to receive anything in the shape of apology or explanation which could be at all considered satisfactory. I dared not, however, yield anything of the kind; all that I could say was, that Mr. Paulet considered the expressions which he had used, to belong to his public duty. This, however, amounted to little or nothing; so it was reluctantly decided that they must fight. We proceeded accordingly to measure the ground, and load. The distance was ten paces; the principals took their places; I presented a pistol to Mr. Armstrong, who accepted it with much grace; Mr. Paulet, at the same time, receiving his weapon from Major Dugdale. It was agreed that they should fire together. The signal was given, and Mr. Armstrong fired, but his antagonist did nothing.

"You have not fired, Mr. Paulet," observed his antagonist.

"No," said he, "I came here to afford you satisfaction, and not to seek it myself."

ven!"

"You are wounded, Sir!" exclaimed the other, who perceived, at the same moment that we did, the blood flowing over his white trowsers, above the knee. We all ran to his assistance. He leaned upon me for support. "Thank Heawas my first ejaculation, "the wound is in no vital part.' ." The surgeon who was in attendance immediately examined it, and, to my great joy, declared it was a mere trifle; the ball had only glanced upon the skin. Major Dugdale and myself now agreed to refuse sanctioning the affair any farther. Mr. Amstrong, indeed, had no wish for a second fire, and professed himself obliged to Mr. Paulet for the promptitude and candour with which he had afforded him satisfaction. He then bowed and left the field with his