Felix Holt, The Radical Chapter 28

In which the approach of a local election stirs the small town of Treby into a quiet bustle, where political placards spark gossip and wary speculation among the tradesmen and townsfolk. Amidst these understated movements, a chance encounter with a half-mad bill-sticker unearths tales of lost heritage and tangled law, revealing more than mere electioneering in the smoky dimness of an old public house.