"It is true that I do not read trashy novels, or sickly love tales,
which present a false picture of the stern realities of life. I confine
my attention to works of a higher class."
"There are not many of them published, are there?"
"What do you mean?"
"Because I have never seen you read anything but newspapers since we
were married, and I doubt if you ever read a whole book through in your
life."
The assertion took my breath away. But I declined to argue. I always do
decline when circumstances permit. They did most clearly then. Though,
when I considered the matter afterwards, I perceived that, had I
chosen, I might have overwhelmed her with the force of my reasoning. In
my opinion, reading is a finite process. I read a great deal when I was
a lad, though I do not quite remember what. There the matter ended.
Life is, as it were, divided into sections. Each section should be
devoted to a different object. For me the section devoted to reading is
passed.
The bombshell fell while we were at dinner, and while Jane was still in
the room.
"What rubbish is this I hear about your being a candidate for this
tuppenny-hapenny School Board which is going to plague the unfortunate
people?"
"My dear, I am not responsible for all the rubbish you may hear."
"Then you admit that it is a rubbishing idea?"
"I do nothing of the kind; at least, so far as my standing is
concerned. On the contrary, I am standing in deference to the
earnestly-expressed wish of the more intelligent portion of the
inhabitants of this parish."
"Meaning Broadbridge the cobbler, Tyler the blacksmith and their
friends, who never attend any place of worship, but spend most of their
time at the 'Fox and Hounds' instead. They know that you have been
silly enough to quarrel with Mr Crookenden and propose to use you as a
catspaw."
"I traverse the whole of your assertion, but decline to dwell on so
delicate a subject. Any discussion had better be postponed to when we
are alone."
"Jane, leave the room."
I did not wish Jane to leave the room. Not at all. On the contrary, I
wished her to stay. I had yet occasion for her services. But, on the
other hand, I did not desire to humiliate Mrs Bloxam by forbidding the
girl to carry out her mistress's commands. So Jane went. And then Mrs
Bloxam expressed herself on the subject of my candidature with a
fluency which I found it difficult to curtail. As usual, she allowed
her language to become stronger than the occasion required. But when it
came to her "positively prohibiting"--her own words--me to go to the
poll, I put my foot down. I pointed out, with irresistible clearness
of reasoning, that I was pledged to represent the conscience of a
well-defined section of our neighbours, and by that pledge my sense of
honour constrained me to stand. And, in fact, that I would stand by it.
Nothing she could say would turn me from my purpose. Not of such weak
materials was I made. The sooner she understood that the better. And,
at last, she did understand--in a measure.
"Then all I can say is that your quarrel with Mr Crookenden will be
life-long. Which will be nice for me, and for all of us. So the sooner
you sell this place and go to live elsewhere, the better it will be."
"Henrietta, I am ready to forgive Crookenden at any moment of any day.
He has only to ask me; he will find me quite prepared. Do you mean to
say that he is so dead to the beauty and the sweetness of a united
parish that he is unwilling to allow to others that freedom of
conscience which he claims for himself."
"It is unfortunate, Augustus, that when there are two ways between
which to choose, you should always prefer the silliest. Still I feel
that it is rather your misfortune than your fault, since it is in that
way you are constituted. I can only hope that, on this occasion, you
will yourself see your folly before it is too late."
There the discussion ended. I was not disposed to bandy personalities
with Mrs Bloxam. I never am.
At the same time I am prepared to confess that I was not altogether
satisfied with the persons who were bracketed with me as associates in
my candidature. There were to be seven members of the Board, so there
were seven of us. We found it rather difficult to complete the tale,
but it was done. We called ourselves Progressives. We stood for
intellectual advance. Our motto was "Brain Emancipation. Unchaining of
the Intellect. Cultivation of the Mind." It was of my own composition,
and was generally found to be pregnant with suggestion. As someone, I
forget who it was, himself pointed out to me, "The more you look at it,
the more you understand what it means." That I felt myself to be the
case.
Unfortunately, my colleagues were hardly up to the standard to which
this motto pointed, as a whole. Nor to be quite correct, even in part.
There was Broadbridge, who undoubtedly does mend shoes, and who also,
it is equally certain, drinks. He is the person I dislike most in the
whole country side. Ever since this School Board business has been in
the air he has endeavoured to borrow small sums of money from me, and
has been in a state of almost continual intoxication. Tyler, the
proprietor of the smithy on Wayman's Hill, calls himself a Red
Republican, and is the most ignorant, argumentative and I may add,
quarrelsome person I ever encountered. We three were the actual
candidates. The other four were dummies, dragged in by the head and
heels to make up the tale of the seven. One of them, Isaac Harding,
who styles himself an "odd man," and who is in reality a loafing,
able-bodied vagabond, who makes his wife support him by taking in
washing, told me that his name had been used without his authority,
and that he "didn't know nothing at all about it." Which I thought
extremely probable. It is not easy to find seven Progressive candidates
in a parish like Copstone.
Not the least of our misfortunes, from my point of view, was the fact
that we were compelled to hold our meetings at the "Fox and Hounds."
The parish room is practically under the control of the rector, and
even had I been willing to ask his permission, which I was not, I doubt
if he would have allowed us to have them there. So we were driven to
what they call the "large room" at the "Fox and Hounds." I liked our
quarters none the more because they were so exactly suited to the
tastes of my associates. They loved the place; had they had their own
way I believe they would have lived there altogether; the proximity of
the bar was, to them, an unqualified, unceasing delight. I do not know
what is the state of the law on the subject of treating at School Board
elections; but if there is no clause objecting to candidates treating
each other, then there ought to be. I never, at any hour of the day or
night, met my colleagues without their suggesting something to drink,
which, if I wished to avoid unpleasant observations, I had to pay for.
It was most unsatisfactory. I found myself on the high road to being
held up as an inciter to drink and an encourager of drunkenness. It was
a decidedly undesirable condition of affairs.
But I could have borne it all. I could have put up with being seen with
Broadbridge when he had to cling to my neck to prevent himself
reclining in the gutter. I could have swallowed my feelings at being
coupled with Tyler in his idiotic denunciations of all that is decent
and respectable in my native land. It was to suffer in the cause of
truth and progress, it was to show Mr Crookenden that there are persons
who will not be trampled on rough-shod, and that he is not the only
creature in the parish who dare call his soul his own. But there was
something which I could not endure. And it was that which came soon. It
was that which has caused that epoch in my life to become branded with
indelible letters of flaming fire.
When I say that the first intimation was received from a third party, I
say more than enough to show what was the state of affairs which
obtained in my domestic circle. I was driving up Wayman's Hill, when,
as I was passing his smithy, Tyler, coming out, called to me to stop.
He was in his shirt-sleeves; had his hammer in his hand; and I could
see that he was shoeing Mr Rudd's brown mare. As usual, he did without
a preface.
"I don't know if you call this the proper way in which to treat us, Mr
Bloxam, because, if you do, I don't. I thought that in this election
business you were with us heart and soul. We're standing by you like
men, why don't you stand by us?"
"What on earth do you mean?"