was already a barrister, and there were so many things open to a
barrister with a seat in Parliament! And as he knew of men who had
been utterly ruined by such early mounting, so also did he know of
others whose fortunes had been made by happy audacity when they were
young. He almost thought that he could die happy if he had once taken
his seat in Parliament,--if he had received one letter with those
grand initials written after his name on the address. Young men in
battle are called upon to lead forlorn hopes. Three fall, perhaps,
to one who gets through; but the one who gets through will have
the Victoria Cross to carry for the rest of his life. This was his
forlorn hope; and as he had been invited to undertake the work, he
would not turn from the danger. On the following morning he again saw
Barrington Erle by appointment, and then wrote the following letter
to his father:--


Reform Club, Feb., 186--.

MY DEAR FATHER,

I am afraid that the purport of this letter will startle
you, but I hope that when you have finished it you will
think that I am right in my decision as to what I am going
to do. You are no doubt aware that the dissolution of
Parliament will take place at once, and that we shall be
in all the turmoil of a general election by the middle of
March. I have been invited to stand for Loughshane, and
have consented. The proposition has been made to me by my
friend Barrington Erle, Mr. Mildmay's private secretary,
and has been made on behalf of the Political Committee of