seem to have been regarded as unmixed privileges by
Lucretius and Lord Bacon.
    One of Mr Johnson's great successes was this. Spratt, the hated manager of
the Sproxton Colliery, in careless confidence that the colliers and other
labourers under him would follow his orders, had provided carts to carry some
loads of voteless enthusiasm to Duffield on behalf of Garstin; enthusiasm which,
being already paid for by the recognised benefit of Garstin's existence as a
capitalist with a share in the Sproxton mines, was not to cost much in the form
of treating. A capitalist was held worthy of pious honour as the cause why
working men existed. But Mr Spratt did not sufficiently consider that a cause
which has to be proved by argument or testimony is not an object of passionate
devotion to colliers: a visible cause of beer acts on them much more strongly.
And even if there had been any love of the far-off Garstin, hatred of the
too-immediate Spratt would have been the stronger motive. Hence Johnson's
calculations, made long ago with Chubb, the remarkable publican, had been well
founded, and there had been diligent care to supply treating at Duffield in the
name of Transome. After the election was over, it was not improbable that there
would be much friendly joking between Putty and Johnson as to the success of
this trick against Putty's employer, and Johnson would be conscious of rising in
the opinion of his celebrated senior.
    For the show of hands and the cheering, the hustling and the pelting, the
roaring and the hissing, the hard hits with small missiles, and the soft hits
with small jokes, were strong enough on the side of Transome to balance the
similar demonstrations for Garstin, even with the Debarry interest in his
favour. And the inconvenient presence of Spratt was early got rid of by a
dexterously managed accident, which sent him bruised and limping from the scene
of action. Mr Chubb had never before felt so thoroughly that the occasion was up
to a level with his talents, while the clear daylight in which his virtue would
appear when at the election he voted, as his duty to himself bound him, for
Garstin only, gave him thorough repose of conscience.
    Felix Holt was the only person looking on at the senseless exhibitions of
this nomination-day, who knew from the beginning the history of the trick with
the Sproxton men. He had been aware all along that the treating at Chubb's had
been continued, and that so far Harold Transome's promise had produced no good
fruits; and what he was observing to-day, as