MR. CLUTTERBUCK'S ELECTION
NEW SIX-SHILLING NOVELS
THE MAGIC OF MAY
By "Iota," Author of "The Yellow Aster," etc.
"A document of the hour."—Times.
THE THIEF ON THE CROSS
By Mrs. Harold Gorst, Author of "This Our Sister," etc.
"'The Jungle' of London."—Daily Graphic.
THE KISS OF HELEN
By Charles Marriott, Author of "The Wondrous Wife."
"A book to read slowly and remember long." Evening Standard.
THE FIFTH QUEEN CROWNEDBy Ford Madox Hueffer, Author of "The Fifth Queen," etc.
"A wonderful picture of the time."—Daily Mail.
A GENTLEMAN OF LONDON
By Morice Gerard, Author of "Rose of Blenheim," etc.
"A pleasure to read."—Globe.
MR. CLUTTERBUCK'S
ELECTION
BY
H. BELLOC
AUTHOR OF "EMANUEL BURDEN"
LONDON
EVELEIGH NASH
FAWSIDE HOUSE
1908
To
GILBERT CHESTERTON
Idem Sentire de Republicâ ...
MR. CLUTTERBUCK'S ELECTION
CHAPTER I
Towards the end of the late Queen Victoria's reign there resided in thesuburban town of Croydon a gentleman of the name of Clutterbuck, who,upon a modest capital inherited from his father, contrived by variousnegotiations at his office in the City of London to gain an income ofnow some seven hundred, now more nearly a thousand, pounds in the year.
It will be remembered that a war of unprecedented dimensions wasraging, at the time of which I speak, in the sub-continent of SouthAfrica.
The President of the South African Republic, thinking the momentpropitious for a conquest of our dominions, had invaded our territoryafter an ultimatum of incredible insolence, and, as though it werenot sufficient that we should grapple foe to foe upon equal terms,the whole weight of the[Pg 2] Orange Free State was thrown into the scaleagainst us.
The struggle against the combined armies which had united to destroythis country was long and arduous, and had we been compelled to relyupon our regular forces alone things might have gone ill. As it was,the enthusiasm of Colonial manhood and the genius of the generalsprevailed. The names of Kitchener, Methuen, Baden-Powell, and Rhodeswill ever remain associated with that of the Commander-in-Chiefhimself, Lord Roberts, who in less than three years from the decisivevictory of Paardeburg imposed peace upon the enemy. Their territorieswere annexed in a series of thirty-seven proclamations, and form to-daythe brightest jewel in the Imperial crown.
These facts—which must be familiar to many of my readers—I onlyrecall in order to show what influence they had in the surprisingrevolutions of fortune which enabled Mr. Clutterbuck to pass from easeto affluence, and launched him upon public life.
The business which Mr. Clutterbuck had inherited from his father wasa small agency chiefly concerned with the Baltic trade. This businesshad declined; for Mr. Clutterbuck's father had failed to follow therapid concentration of commercial effort which is the mark of ourtime. But Mr. Clutterbuck[Pg 3] had inherited, bes