herself. Had she said out her mind plainly, she would probably have spoken thus: 'I want you to make love to Miss Dunstable, certainly; or at any rate to make an offer to her; but you need not make a show of yourself and of her, too, by doing it so openly as all that.' The countess, however, did not want to reprimand her obedient nephew, and therefore did not speak out her thoughts.
'Well?' said Frank, looking up into her face.
'Take a leetle more time—that is all, my dear boy; slow and sure, you know;' so the countess again patted his arm and went away to bed.
'Old fool!' muttered Frank to himself, as he returned to the room where the men were still standing. He was right in this: she was an old fool, or she would have seen that there was no chance whatever that her nephew and Miss Dunstable should become man and wife.
'Well, Frank,' said the Honourable John; 'so you're after the heiress already.'
'He won't give any of us a chance,' said the Honourable George. 'If he goes on in that way she'll be Mrs. Gresham before a month is over. But, Frank, what will she say of your manner of looking for Barchester votes?'
'Mr. Gresham is certainly an excellent hand at canvassing,' said Mr. Nearthewinde; 'only a little too open in his manner of proceeding.'
'I got that chorister for you at any rate,' said Frank. 'And you would never have had him without me.'
'I don't think half so much of the chorister's vote as that of Miss Dunstable,' said the Honourable Goorge: 'that's the interest that is really worth the looking after.'
'But, surely,' said Mr. Moffat, 'Miss Dunstable has no property in Barchester?' Poor man! his heart was so intent on his election that he had not a moment to devote to the claims of love.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE ELECTION.
And now the important day of the election had arrived, and some men's hearts beat quickly enough. To be or not to be a member of the British parliament is a question of very considerable moment in a man's mind. Much is often said of the great penalties which the ambitious pay for enjoying this honour; of the tremendous expenses of elections; of the long, tedious hours of un-
