She had so much to talk of with the vicar, so many questions to put
to him, not a few of a kind that would--she thought--surprise and
trouble him. None the less, they must be asked and answered. Part of
her desire to see him again was merely the result of her longing for
the society of well-read and thoughtful people. She knew that he
would appear to her in a different light from formerly; she would be
far better able to understand him.
She began by seeking his opinion of her husband's chances in
Belwick. Mr. Wyvern shook his head and said frankly that he thought
there was no chance at all. Mutimer was looked upon in the borough
as a mischievous interloper, who came to make disunion in the
Radical party. The son of a lord and an ironmaster of great
influence were the serious candidates. Had he seen fit, Mr. Wyvern
could have mentioned not a few lively incidents in the course of the
political warfare; such, for instance, as the appearance of a neat
little pamphlet which purported to give a full and complete account
of Mutimer's life. In this pamphlet nothing untrue was set down, nor
did it contain anything likely to render its publisher amenable to
the law of libel; but the writer, a gentleman closely connected with
Comrade Roodhouse, most skilfully managed to convey the worst
possible impression throughout.
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