Chapters 8 and 9 Summary

Aubrey's father, General Aubrey, was politically involved with minor party intrigues against the ruling coalition. The political troubles that resulted in Aubrey's legal difficulties also brought General Aubrey's fortunes to a new low, and he escaped to the countryside where he lived incognito. Aubrey then learns that his father, General Aubrey, has died. He travels back to his childhood home and settles the legal situation with various attorneys, buries his father, and spends time with his much-younger half brother Philip. The funeral is attended by a Mr. Norton, a relative of Aubrey's, who Aubrey addresses as Cousin Edward. Edward and General Aubrey had been at political odds, but Edward respects Aubrey. After an evening of discussion Edward announces that he plans to elect Aubrey for the seat of the borough of Milport, to replace his father the late General Aubrey. Aubrey...