other side of Mrs Winterfield here took the liberty of explaining that
as the captain was going to talk politics there would be no prayers.
'But they have prayers in the Houses of Parliament,' said Mrs
Winterfield, with much anger. To this the town councillor's wife, who
was almost silenced by the great lady's wrath, said that indeed she did
not know. After this Mrs Winterfield continued to hope for the best,
till the platform was filled and the proceedings had commenced. Then
she declared the present men of Perivale to be a godless set, and
expressed herself very sorry that her nephew had ever had anything to
do with them. 'No good can come of it, my dear,' she said. Clara from
the beginning had feared that no good would come of her aunt's visit to
the town-hall.

The business was put on foot at once, and with some little flourishing
at the commencement, Captain Aylmer made his speech the same speech
which we have all heard and read so often, specially adapted to the
meridian of Perivale. He was a Conservative, and of course he told his
hearers that a good time was coming; that he and his family were really
about to buckle themselves to the work, and that Perivale would hear
things that would surprise it. The malt tax was to go, and the farmers
were to have free trade in beer the arguments from the other side
having come beautifully round in their appointed circle and old England
was to be old England once again. He did the thing tolerably well, as
such gentlemen usually do, and Perivale was contented with its Member,
with the exception of one Perivalian. To Mrs Winterfield, sitting up
there and listening with all her ears, it seemed that he had hitherto
omitted all allusion to any subject that was worthy of mention. At last
he said some word about the marriage and divorce court, condemning the
iniquity of the present law, to which Perivale had opposed itself
violently by petition and general meetings; and upon hearing this Mrs