No election of a Member of Parliament by ballot in a borough so large as that of Westminster had as yet been achieved in England since the ballot had been established by law.  Men who heretofore had known, or thought that they knew, how elections would go, who counted up promises, told off professed enemies, and weighed the doubtful ones, now confessed themselves to be in the dark.  Three days since the odds had been considerably in Melmotte’s favour; but this had come from the reputation attached to his name, rather than from any calculation as to the politics of the voters.  Then Sunday had intervened.  On the Monday Melmotte’s name had continued to go down in the betting from morning to evening.  Early in the day his supporters had thought little of this, attributing the fall to that...