“Leicester White? I detest the man, and the wife too.”
“Well, there's Frobisher, a fellow of good name and family. I 'd not go bail for his preferring your interests to his own, but as times go, you might chance upon worse. Will you have Frobisher?”
“I have no objection,” said Cashel, carelessly; “would he like it himself?”
“Would he like anything that might help him to a step in the regiment, or place him in a position to sell himself, you, and the borough constituency, to the highest bidder?” said Linton, irritated at Cashel's half assent.
“Well, if these be his principles,” cried Cashel, laughing, “I think we 'd better put him aside.”
“You 're right; he 'd never do,” said Linton, recovering all his self-possession; “what you want is a man sufficiently unconnected with ties of family or party, to see in you his patron and his object, and who, with cleverness enough to enunciate the views you desire to see prevail, has also the strong bond of personal regard to make him always even more the friend than the follower.”
“I only know of one man who realizes all this combination,” said Cashel, smiling, “and he would n't answer.”
“Who is he,—and why?” asked Linton, in vain endeavoring to look easy and unconcerned.
“Tom Linton is the man, and his invincible laziness the 'why.' Isn't that true?”
“By George, Cashel, if you 're content with the first part of the assertion, I 'll pledge myself to remedy the latter. I own, frankly, it is a career for which I have no predilection; if I had, I should have been 'in' many years ago. I have all my life held very cheap your great political leaders, both as regards capacity and character, and I have ever fancied that I should have had some success in the lists; but I have always loved ease, and that best of ease, independence. If you think, however, that I can worthily represent you in Parliament, and that you could safely trust to my discretion the knotty question of political war, say the word, my boy, and I 'll fling my 'far niente' habits to the wind, and you shall have all the merit of developing the promising member for—what's the name of it?”