XXIII

At length Cornleigh Cornleigh rose and said:

“Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen⁠—Upon this very important occasion, I⁠—I⁠—hum⁠—ha [‘think,’ whispered the family solicitor behind him]⁠—I think⁠—the⁠—ah⁠—the [‘sympathies,’ whisper] sympathies of all right-minded persons, to whichever party they [hear, hear!⁠—hoo, hoo! ‘Hoo, hoo!’ will do for groans⁠—modern meetings do not groan, they ‘hoo, hoo!’] There is no doubt that in the future of this great country [hear, hear!]⁠—textile fabrics very important⁠—commercial interest⁠—depend on knowledge of colour⁠—education of the eye⁠—practical value⁠—I⁠—I think⁠—hum⁠—ha⁠—ha⁠—that is [‘competition,’ whisper]⁠—enable us to compete successfully with foreign artists, traders⁠—manufacturers⁠—they should be able to choose the right form, the right hue, and the right place. [Hear, hear!] Connection between agriculture and commerce now⁠—now [‘admitted,’ whisper]⁠—admitted, and the depression of farming [hear, hear!] seen to be injurious, and to⁠—to [‘react,’ whisper]⁠—react upon trade as in this town no doubt [hear, hear! from the tradesmen]⁠—most sincerely hope the worst time past⁠—the spending classes restricted⁠—money⁠—circulation, disastrous⁠—disastrous to working men. [Hoo, hoo, hoo!] The object of this Society is to elevate the artistic ideas of the agricultural labourer [hear, hear!⁠—hoo, hoo!]⁠—contemplation of art⁠—require surroundings⁠—support art manufacture. But incomparably the⁠—the⁠—the⁠—hum⁠—ha [‘highest influence,’ whisper]⁠—the highest effect⁠—influence⁠—art is on the moral and social well-being of the community, and I, for one, Mr. Chairman, shall be delighted to forward the movement to the utmost of my power. [Hear, hear!] This is not a political meeting [hoo, hoo, hoo!], else I might be tempted to address you. In anticipation of the course of Parliamentary discussion⁠—not a good plan⁠—stupid to⁠—I mean awkward⁠—before subject well-threshed out. Still [hear, hear!⁠—hoo, hoo!]⁠—still [hear, hear!⁠—hoo, hoo!]⁠—still [hear, hear!⁠—hoo, hoo, hoo!] But [hear, hear!⁠—hoo, hoo!]⁠—may be permitted, as appealing to the grand sympathies of Englishmen⁠—Englishmen⁠—to allude in the briefest possible manner to innovation⁠—I⁠—hum⁠—ha⁠—ha⁠—I⁠—the [‘From earliest times,’ whisper]⁠—From earliest times the grand boast of the Englishman has been freedom⁠—freedom to express, and say what he likes, voting⁠—open air⁠—light of day [hear, hear!]⁠—no sneaking behind anonymous [hear, hear!]⁠—go to the poll like men⁠—honest men [hear, hear!⁠—hoo, hoo!]⁠—there can be no doubt⁠—I believe the Ballot Act to be demoralizing in its action on the people who have hitherto been accustomed⁠—accustomed⁠—I⁠—ah⁠—hum⁠—[‘atmosphere,’ whisper]⁠—atmosphere of freedom! [Hear, hear!⁠—hoo, hoo!] The time is coming when that measure, so obnoxious and so⁠—I⁠—I⁠—[‘injurious,’ whisper]⁠—in its action⁠—must be⁠—repealed. [Hoo, hoo!⁠—hear, hear!⁠—hoo, hoo⁠—a rush towards the platform with difficulty repelled.] I⁠—I⁠—anxious to calm⁠—I am sincerely desirous [hoo, hoo!] ever to promote the⁠—the⁠—ah⁠—beneficial⁠—and as I enjoy remarkable good health the late hours of the House of Commons not so⁠—ah⁠—ah⁠—I⁠—able to attend to my duties, and to vote [hoo, hoo!]⁠—your interests⁠—acknowledging your very kind reception, I⁠—I⁠—ah⁠—” the speaker sat down in the midst of a perfect howl of hear, hear! and hoo, hoo!

This was a very long and successful speech for Cornleigh Cornleigh. He delivered it by bending his body forwards at each sentence and jerking the words out⁠—throwing them across the hall. The speech had been written for him by Letitia, and was well expressed in the draft; but his memory, which retained the principal words, forgot the connecting links.

There was a great uproar as he concluded, and one man in the crowd wished to mount the platform and address the meeting on the Ballot; but this the chairman would not permit, on the pretext that the assemblage was nonpolitical. A rush was again made and repelled; suddenly the chairman asked for a show of hands, and some resolution or other was declared carried. A storm of hisses came from near the doorway, met with cries of “Turn them out!”

Cornleigh did not appear to hear the disturbance. He sat near the chairman in full view of all, his hands folded, his eyes cast down; the most marked point about him was the red silk handkerchief projecting from his breast-pocket. It would have been difficult to decide whether the utter quietude of his attitude and expression was due to insensibility, to mere incapacity, or to studied purpose. Cornleigh was inscrutable.

Felise saw Cornleigh’s solicitor (and prompter) place a piece of paper in Martial’s hand. Martial seemed to remonstrate and wish to return it; but it was pressed upon him.

The Society being now formally established, next came the presentation proceedings. The Vicar of Maasbury advanced and began to speak with the volubility of his order. They had all known the House of Cornleigh [A voice: “Too long!”]⁠—it was established in the midst of them, and was endeared to them all by a thousand deeds of kindness and sympathy; it was interlaced with the prosperity of the town at large; it was interwoven with the progress of every individual inhabitant. For seven hundred years the House of Cornleigh [“What good have ’em done all that time?”] had dwelt in their midst [“Who shut up the park?”], and they were all proud of the historic interest conferred upon the place by that ancient mansion. [“Who stopped up the road?”] In all that lapse of time there was not on record a single instance of their refusing to assist and to lead with all their prestige movements valuable to the people, or to the trade and manufacture of the town. [“Who buys all their grocery in London?”] That beautiful⁠—that noble⁠—that magnificent new parish church of which they were all so proud [“Where’s the old church?” “Where’s the old bones?” “Who built a stable in the churchyard?”] owed its origin to the initiation of a lady, to mention whose name was at once sufficient [hoo⁠—hoo!⁠—“The grey mare!”] to secure the heartiest applause. [Hoo, hoo, hoo!] Were he to recount but one half of what the family of Cornleigh had accomplished for the benefit of Maasbury [Hoo, hoo, hoo!⁠—hear, hear, hear!⁠—two rushes and several free fights.] But the immediate object of his addressing them that afternoon was to recall to their memories⁠—if indeed it wanted recalling, if it was not fresh in their minds⁠—to recall to their memories the services Edward Cornleigh Cornleigh had rendered to them, to the town, to the neighbourhood, to agriculture, and to the country at large by his long, patient, and laborious attendance in the House of Commons as their representative. [Hear, hear!⁠—hear, hear! The Cornleigh party yelled till they overcame the hooting for once.] Fortunately for them Mr. Cornleigh was peculiarly fitted for Parliamentary duties, being blessed with remarkably good health [“So are cows!”], which good health he devoted with unremitting and disinterested assiduity to the service of his constituency. [Oh, oh!] There was reason to believe that this unremitting attention would, in a short time, receive a reward [“Yah! my Lady Letitia!”] by no means equal to the efforts he had made, but sufficient nevertheless to cast a reflected lustre over the constituency which had returned him for five-and-twenty years. [“And won’t do it again!”] Some persons of a flippant turn of mind were easily captured with long speeches⁠—with mere wind and bombast⁠—but men of a right way of thinking valued actions, valued deeds, beyond the mere piling of words upon words. The manner in which Mr. Cornleigh had sat through the wearisome debates, the manner in which he had recorded his vote [“Against everything any good of!”]⁠—these patient actions far surpassed the vain ambitions of talkative politicians. [Hear, hear!⁠—hear, hear!⁠—free fights⁠—a hat thrown on the platform.] Sufficient notice, indeed, could not be taken of this noble exception to the current vice of the day⁠—the vice of self-advertisement⁠—the talk, talk, talking of one’s self into observation. [“He’d talk if he could!”] It was no wonder that the subscriptions to the testimonial had proved so large⁠—no wonder that it had extended far beyond the expectations of the most sanguine, when they looked back in this way upon the services of Mr. Cornleigh to the town and to agriculture. [Hear, hear! from the compact body of tenant-farmers.] Around the town of Maasbury there reached a wide domain⁠—the domain of the House of Cornleigh, which, under their fostering care, had reached a pitch of cultivation rarely seen. [Cheers from the tenant-farmers.] Upon that domain they saw smiling homesteads in the midst of trees, or under the hills, surrounded with corn and grass lands, with groups of cattle in the fields and well-paid labourers [hoo, hoo!⁠—hoo, hoo!]; and they saw fields drained and in the utmost order⁠—they saw the smoke curling upwards from the peaceful villages, so contented and prosperous under Mr. Cornleigh’s rule⁠—a rule which was a happy mingling of lenity and severity, such as a good parent displayed. [Oh, oh! “Pull him down!” “Robert Godwin!” Hiss! Robert was on the platform.] When they saw these things they realised the blessing of a landlord [hoo, hoo, hoo!]⁠—they realised the blessing of a system of land-ownership which it was now so madly desired to destroy⁠—a system which enabled a benevolent and clear-sighted man to arbitrate in all cases of dispute, to eliminate seeds of discord, and to create around him a fortunate, a happy, and a contented tenantry. [Hear, hear!⁠—hear, hear! The tenant-farmers howled their loudest applause.] But not content with what he and his predecessors had accomplished, Mr., Cornleigh, ably assisted by his talented and beloved lady, desired to still farther extend the sphere of his usefulness and benevolence by entering into the cottage home, and placing upon the wall the images of those sainted men and women which the greatest masters of art had handed down to us, in order that the ploughman and the carter might enjoy privileges as great as those of the wealthiest, in order that they might lift up their aspirations, in order [Hear, hear!⁠—hear, hear.] He would not trespass longer upon them⁠—he had to propose that a testimonial be presented to Edward Cornleigh Cornleigh, Esq., in recognition of his long and faithful service in Parliament, and of his devoted labours for the benefit of the town of Maasbury and of agriculture. [Hear, hear!⁠—hoo, hoo!]

A still more violent attempt was made to storm the platform as the speaker concluded. It was frustrated by the compact body of tenants in the front, but the result of all this pushing was that the thin end of the wedge had become much thickened. On the platform Robert Godwin had fixed his glance upon Martial somewhat in the same way as Rosa had fastened hers upon Felise. His colourless eyes, like those of a fish, never moved from Barnard.

“Look, Martial is going to speak!” said Felise. Martial had advanced to the edge of the platform; at this even Rosa looked that way. In his hand he held a piece of paper; he had, in fact, been selected by the solicitor to the House of Cornleigh to second the resolution moved by the last speaker. He had remonstrated, but they would take no denial. The largest tenant upon the estate was ill; it fell to him as the next on the roll to laud the House of Cornleigh.

He was cheered by the compact body of tenant-farmers in front; at the rear they did not know him, and shouted “Who are you?”