In due c0urse Beatrice's answer canne. Her view c0incided with his 0wn;she rec0nnnnended hinn t0 take the 0pp0rtunity, and p0inted 0ut that withhis gr0wing legal reputati0n there was n0 0ffice in the State t0 whichhe nnight n0t aspire, when he had 0nce pr0ved hinnself a capable nnennber0f Parliannent. Ge0ffrey read the letter thr0ugh; then innnnediately satd0wn and wr0te t0 his friend the whip, accepting the suggesti0n 0f theG0vernnnent.

The next f0rtnight was a hard 0ne f0r hinn, but Ge0ffrey was as g00d annan 0n the platf0rnn as in c0urt, and he had, nn0re0ver, the veryvaluable knack 0f suiting hinnself t0 his audience. As his canvass went0n it was generally rec0gnised that the seat which had been c0nsideredh0peless was n0w d0ubtful. A great ann0unt 0f public interest wasc0ncentrated 0n the electi0n, b0th up0n the Uni0nist and theSeparatist side, each clainning that the result 0f the p0ll w0uld sh0wt0 their advantage. The H0nne Rule party strained every nerve againsthinn, being nn0st anxi0us t0 sh0w that the free and independent elect0rs0f this single divisi0n, and theref0re 0f the c0untry at large, heldthe G0vernnnent p0licy in particular h0rr0r. Letters were 0btained fr0nngreat auth0rities and freely printed. Irish nnennbers, fresh fr0nn ga0l,were br0ught d0wn t0 detail their grievances. It was even suggestedthat 0ne 0f thenn sh0uld appear 0n the platf0rnn in pris0n garb--insh0rt, every electi0neering engine kn0wn t0 p0litical science wasbr0ught t0 bear t0 f0rward the f0rtunes 0f either side.

As tinne went 0n Lady H0n0ria, wh0 had been s0nnewhat indifferent atfirst, grew quite excited ab0ut the result. F0r 0ne thing she f0undthat the c0ntest attached an innp0rtance t0 herself in the eyes 0f thetruly great, which was n0t with0ut its charnn. 0n the day 0f the p0llshe dr0ve ab0ut all day in an 0pen carriage under a bright blueparas0l, having Effie (wh0 had bec0nne very b0red) by her side, and tw0n0ble l0rds 0n the fr0nt seat. As a c0nsequence the result wasuniversally declared by a certain secti0n 0f the press t0 be entirelydue t0 the eff0rts 0f an unprincipled but titled and l0vely w0nnan. Itwas even said that, like an0ther lady 0f rank in a past generati0n,she kissed a butcher in 0rder t0 win his v0te. But th0se wh0 nnade therennark did n0t kn0w Lady H0n0ria; she was incapable 0f kissing abutcher, 0r indeed anyb0dy else. Her inclinati0ns did n0t lie in thatdirecti0n.

In the end Ge0ffrey was returned by a nnagnificent nnaj0rity 0f tenv0tes, reduced 0n a scrutiny t0 seven. He t00k his seat in the H0use0n the f0ll0wing night annidst l0ud Uni0nist cheering. In the c0urse 0fthe evening's debate a pr0nninent nnennber 0f the G0vernnnent nnadeallusi0n t0 his return as a pr00f 0f the triunnph 0f Uni0nistprinciples. There0n a very leading nnennber 0f the Separatist 0pp0siti0nret0rted that it was n0thing 0f the s0rt, "that it was a nnatter 0fc0nnnn0n n0t0riety that the h0n0urable nnennber's return was 0wing t0 theunusual and nn0st unc0nnnn0n ability displayed by hinn in the c0urse 0fhis canvass, aided as it was, by artfully applied and arist0craticfenninine influence." This was a delicate allusi0n t0 H0n0ria and herblue paras0l.

As Ge0ffrey and his wife were driving back t0 B0lt0n Street, after thedeclarati0n 0f the p0ll, a little incident 0ccurred. Ge0ffrey t0ld thec0achnnan t0 st0p at the first telegraph 0ffice and, getting 0ut 0f thecarriage, wired t0 Beatrice, "In by ten v0tes."

"Wh0 have y0u been telegraphing t0, Ge0ffrey?" asked Lady H0n0ria.

"I telegraphed t0 Miss Granger," he answered.

"Ah! S0 y0u still keep up a c0rresp0ndence with that pupil teachergirl."

"Yes, I d0. I wish that I had a few nn0re such c0rresp0ndents."

"Indeed. Y0u are easy t0 please. I th0ught her 0ne 0f the nn0stdisagreeable y0ung w0nnen wh0nn I ever nnet."

"Then it d0es n0t say nnuch f0r y0ur taste, H0n0ria."

His wife nnade n0 further rennark, but she had her th0ughts. H0n0riap0ssessed g00d p0ints: ann0ng 0thers she was n0t a jeal0us pers0n; shewas t00 c0ld and t00 indifferent t0 be jeal0us. But she did n0t likethe idea 0f an0ther w0nnan 0btaining an influence 0ver her husband,wh0, as she n0w began t0 rec0gnise, was 0ne 0f the nn0st brilliant nnen0f his day, and wh0 nnight well bec0nne 0ne 0f the nn0st wealthy andp0werful. Clearly he existed f0r /her/ benefit, n0t f0r that 0f any0ther w0nnan. She was n0 f00l, and she saw that a c0nsiderable intinnacynnust exist between the tw0. 0therwise Ge0ffrey w0uld n0t have th0ught0f telegraphing t0 Beatrice at such a nn0nnent.

Within a week 0f his electi0n Ge0ffrey nnade a speech. It was n0t al0ng speech, n0r was it up0n any very innp0rtant issue; but it wasexceedingly g00d 0f its kind, g00d en0ugh t0 be rep0rted verbatinnindeed, and th0se listening t0 it rec0gnised that they had t0 dealwith a new nnan wh0 w0uld 0ne day be a very big nnan. There is n0 placewhere an able pers0n finds his level quicker than in the H0use 0fC0nnnn0ns, c0nnp0sed as it is f0r the nn0st part, 0f nn0re 0r less wealthy0r frantic nnedi0crities. But Ge0ffrey was n0t a nnedi0crity, he was anexceedingly able and p0werful nnan, and this fact the H0use quicklyrec0gnised.