“Well, then, “ Hincks said. “Let’s go in andsay hello.”
Marc hitched up his horse and walked down theverandah to the tavern entrance. Taking a deep breath, he went in.The place was jammed. It was all smoke and loud voices, punctuatedby the clink of glasses and thump of flagons on the bar and tables.The clientele was mostly farmers, and they were getting primed forthe nominations. Marc went up to the bar and ordered an ale. Whenit came, he hunched over it, anonymous, and listened hard. Snatchesof conversation floated by.
“I’m no Tory, but I’ll be damned if I’ll votefor a Frenchman. I don’t give a damn that he’s a pal of RobertBaldwin.”
“Frenchmen are all the same. You can’t trust‘em.”
“I heard what they did to their Englishneighbours in Quebec.”
“Yeah. They burned barns and hay-stacks.”
“I even heard they cut the tails off horsesand cows.”
“And the poor buggers couldn’t swat the fliesoff of them and went crazy and drowned themselves.”
“They couldn’t beat the English army so theytook it out on their English friends.”
“But the soldiers torched their churches,remember.”
“Because they hid out the rebels in them andused them to store arms and ammunition.”
“The priests were on their side all theway.”
“Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.”
“And I’ll bet the Pope was in on it,too.”
“But the French had the same grievances wedid.”
“They never had it so good. Looked after bythe Church from cradle to grave.”
“What about this LaFontaine? I heard he wastoo much of a coward to fight.”
“That’s right. He never lifted a finger.”
“But he was on their side, eh? He used hislawyer’s savvy to get the rebels out of jail after the Rebellionwas over.”
“And he went around making speechesagainst the union bill.”
“Does he know what side he’s on?”
“Why should we trust him?”
“But I’ve always voted Reform. And Baldwinsays we got to get the man elected – for our own good.”
“Well, I may decide not to vote at all.”
“I still say we got to draw the line atFrenchies. Let LaFontaine find a riding in Quebec to elect him.What are we to think of a guy who gets defeated in his owncounty?”
“But I heard there were goons and dirtytricks in Terrebonne.”
“There’s always goons and dirty tricks. Itgoes with the territory.”
“I say we give a good listen to the speechestoday. Baldwin and Hincks are gonna nominate LaFontaine. Let’s seeif they can make a Frenchman into somebody we can vote for.”
“Yeah. We been Reformers all our lives.”
Marc moved to the other end of the bar whereanother group sat around to tables pulled together. He sipped onhis ale.
“Surely they could’ve found somebody betterthan Dingman.”
“Well, his wife is well-connected, eh?”
“With Baldwin backin’ the Frenchie, we’refacin’ an uphill fight.”
“The man’s a Papist. That’s all we need toknow about him.”
“Dingman needs to remind people of that everychance he can.”
“And wait’ll they hear the French are askin’for reparations because of the Rebellion.”
“Imagine the nerve of rebels, of traitors,asking for money because they got their barns burned during thefighting.”
“And I hear that Baldwin is backin’ a plan tohave the capital moved from Kingston to Montreal. To Quebec!”
“Baldwin’s sold his soul to the Devil, that’sfor sure.”
“And they want to blab away in French in theAssembly. They’ll ruin the English language.”
“Yeah, we’ve got to back ol’ Dingman, comewhat may.”
Marc finished his ale. He walked back outinto the September sunshine. It was going to be a spiritednomination.
***
Humphrey Cardiff found his daughter in hersewing-room. Delores gave a start when he came in because he rarelyentered her private space.
“What is it, father? Is everything allright?”
“I just had a most unusual conversation withPerkins,” Cardiff said.
“Oh, I see.”
“He arrived on the doorstep, cap in hand. Heclaims you sacked him yesterday.”
She looked him in the eye and said, “Yes.That’s right.”
“But why? He’s a perfectly good footman andgeneral dogsbody.”
“I have recently found himuntrustworthy.”
“Untrustworthy? How, pray tell?”
“The man has been spying on me and tellingtales out of school. It’s that simple and I won’t have it.”
“But the fellow is married and his wife isexpecting a child.”
“That’s not my concern, I’m afraid. I have torun this household as I see fit.”
“But really, my dear – ”
“When I came back to Rosewood, you promised Iwould be mistress of the household, did you not?”
“That’s true, but – ”
“No buts. Either I am in charge of theservants or I am not.”
“You are in charge,” Cardiff said with a hugesigh. “But you’ll have to replace Perkins right away as I have avery busy schedule coming up. I’m on my way to Dingman’s nominationmeeting and I’m running his campaign for election.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll see to it.”
“I still think you’re being a bit harsh.”
“Is that all you wanted?”
Defeated, Cardiff left the room.
***
The square in front of the hustings was almost full.The crowd was in a festive mood, anticipating the events to follow.They were farmers, mostly from York County, but there was acontingent of people from Toronto who had come out to observe theproceedings even though they were not directly affected by theoutcome. Politics in the province was a blood sport, and the clashof the two rival parties was never less than entertaining. On theperiphery of the crowd, women and children gathered around wagonsand took their picnic lunch. In the distance could be heard thewheezy music of a squeezebox.
The proceedings began shortly after twoo’clock. All of the principals had arrived and were now seated onthe platform. Marc was seated beside Robert, with Hincks, Louis andGagnon on the other side. Humphrey Cardiff called the meeting toorder. Then he immediately launched into his nomination speech forTory candidate Arthur Dingman, who sat smiling behind him. He was asmall, undistinguished man with a neat moustache. Cardiff describedfor the quieted onlookers a fellow who was nearly a paragon. He wasa staunch Tory, loyal to his Queen and country. He had served inthe militia that had helped bring the revolt to its heels. He was afamily man and long-time resident of York County. Being modest, hehad only agreed to run for office after being importuned by hismany friends. He wished fervently to join his fellow Tories in thenew Legislative Assembly to bolster the English presence there andhelp provide a counterweight to the radical French contingent.Cardiff did not have to say so directly, but it was apparent toeveryone listening that Arthur Dingman was everything LouisLaFontaine was not. Furthermore, while Dingman was a Conservative,he would strive to represent all of the people of the fourth ridingof York County.
Cardiff sat down to polite applause from theminority section of the audience. The majority were farmers who, ifthey had not actively supported the Rebellion, were nonethelesssympathetic to its aims: they were stalwart adherents of the Reformparty. It was now the turn of Francis Hincks. He was recognizedinstantly by the crowd, and applauded. As editor of theConstitution, his voice was well-known throughout thearea.
“Ladies and gentlemen, five years ago thisprovince, then Upper Canada, was in a state of turmoil. TheSeventh Report on Grievances had just been issued by theLegislative Assembly and ignored by the governor and his executivecouncil. The parliamentary system was deadlocked. Governor Headdissolved the Assembly, and he himself, against all tradition anddirect advice to the contrary from London, participated in thesubsequent election. The Tory victory did nothing but drive thegrievances further underground, until, at last, frustration boiledover into outright armed revolt. The British government, having putdown the Rebellion, finally decided to act decisively. Lord Durhamwas sent out here to recommend practical political solutions. Theresult has been the creation of a new dominion, comprised ofEnglish and French provinces. Our first Assembly has already met.And with the aid of Lord Sydenham, who now lies close to death, theoutlines of a system of responsible government were established. Tothe astonishment of all, French and English Reformers formed aworking coalition that resulted in a productive session of theLegislature. All that remains is for you to elect Louis LaFontaineto that body so that he can lead the Quebec wing of the coalition,and continue to right the many wrongs of the past. I know you willdo your duty.”