Now,
however, that they gave him no choice, he was glad to
think that though times had been pretty good for the
farmers of South Fox all through the eleven years of his
appearance in the political arena, he was leaving it at
a moment when they promised to be better still. Already,
he was sure, they were familiar with the main heads of
that attractive prospect and, agreeable as the subject,
great as the policy was to him, he would leave it to be
further unfolded by the gentleman whom they all hoped to
enlist in the cause, as his successor for this constituency,
Mr Lorne Murchison, and by his friend from the old country,
Mr Alfred Hesketh. He, Farquharson, would not take the
words out of the mouths of these gentlemen, much as he
envied them the opportunity of uttering them. The French
Academy, he told them, that illustrious body of literary
and scientific men, had a custom, on the death of a member
and the selection of his successor, of appointing one of
their number to eulogize the newcomer. The person upon
whom the task would most appropriately fall, did
circumstances permit, would be the departing academician.
In this case, he was happy to say, circumstances did
permit--his political funeral was still far enough off
to enable him to express his profound confidence in and
his hearty admiration of the young and vigorous political
heir whom the Liberals of South Fox had selected to stand
in his shoes.
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