Mr Moffat groaned, and would have expostulated had Mr Nearthewinde been willing to hear him.

But that gentleman's services had been put into requisition by Lord de Courcy rather than by the candidate.

For the candidate he cared but little.
To pay the bill would be enough for him.

He, Mr Nearthewinde, was doing his business as he well knew how to do it; and it was not likely that he should submit to be lectured by such as Mr Moffat on a trumpery score of expense.
It certainly did appear on the morning of the election as though some great change had been made in that resolution of the candidates to be very pure.

From an early hour rough bands of music were to be heard in every part of the usually quiet town; carts and gigs, omnibuses and flys, all the old carriages from all the inn-yards, and every vehicle of any description which could be pressed into the service were in motion; if the horses and post-boys were not to be paid for by the candidates, the voters themselves were certainly very liberal in their mode of bringing themselves to the poll.