A Prince of Sinners by E. Phillips Oppenheim

Author:E. Phillips Oppenheim
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pronoun

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II — THE HECKLING OF HENSLOW

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“THE LONG AND SHORT OF it is, then, Mr. Henslow, that you decline to fulfil your pledges given at the last election?” Brooks asked, coldly.

“Nothing of the sort,” Mr. Henslow declared, testily. “You have no right to suggest anything of the sort.”

“No right!”

“Certainly not. You are my agent, and you ought to work with me instead— “

“I have already told you,” Brooks interrupted, ‘"that I am nothing of the sort. I should not dream of acting for you again, and if you think a formal resignation necessary, I will post you one to-morrow. I am one of your constituents, nothing more or less. But as I am in some measure responsible for your presence here, I consider myself within my rights in asking you these questions.”

“I’m not going to be hectored!” Mr. Henslow declared.

“Nobody wants to hector you! You gave certain pledges to us, and you have not fulfilled one of them.”

“They won’t let me. I’m not here as an independent Member. I’m here as a Liberal, and Sir Henry himself struck out my proposed question and motion. I must go with the Party.”

“You know quite well,” Brooks said, “that you are within your rights in keeping the pledges you made to the mass meeting at Medchester.”

Henslow shook his head.

“It would be no good,” he declared. “I’ve sounded lots of men about it. I myself have not changed. I believe in some measure of protection. I am a firm believer in it. But the House wouldn’t listen to me. The times are not ripe for anything of the sort yet.”

“How do you know until you try?” Brooks protested. “Your promise was to bring the question before Parliament in connection with the vast and increasing number of unemployed. You are within your rights in doing so, and to speak frankly we insist upon it, or we ask for your resignation.”

“Are you speaking with authority, young man?” Mr. Henslow asked.

“Of course I am. I am the representative of the Liberal Parliamentary Committee, and I am empowered to say these things to you, and more.

“Well, I’ll do the best I can to get a date,” Mr. Henslow said, grumblingly, “but you fellows are always in such a hurry, and you don’t understand that it don’t go up here. We have to wait our time month after month sometimes.”

“I don’t see any motion down in your name at all yet,” Brooks remarked.

“I told you that Sir Henry struck it through.”

“Then I shall call upon him and point out that he is throwing away a Liberal seat at the next election,” Brooks replied. “He isn’t the sort of man to encourage a Member to break his election pledges.”

“You’ll make a mess of the whole thing if you do anything of the sort,” Henslow declared. “Look here, come and have a bit of dinner with me, and talk things over a bit more pleasantly, eh? There’s no use in getting our rags out.”

“Please excuse me,” Brooks said. “I have arranged to dine elsewhere.

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