CHAPTER IV.
Tankerville The great Mr.Molescroft himself came over to Tankerville for the purpose of introducing our hero to the electors and to Mr.Ruddles, the local Liberal agent, who was to be employed.

They met at the Lambton Arms, and there Phineas established himself, knowing well that he had before him ten days of unmitigated vexation and misery.
Tankerville was a dirty, prosperous, ungainly town, which seemed to exude coal-dust or coal-mud at every pore.

It was so well recognised as being dirty that people did not expect to meet each other with clean hands and faces.

Linen was never white at Tankerville, and even ladies who sat in drawing-rooms were accustomed to the feel and taste and appearance of soot in all their daintiest recesses.

We hear that at Oil City the flavour of petroleum is hardly considered to be disagreeable, and so it was with the flavour of coal at Tankerville.
And we know that at Oil City the flavour of petroleum must not be openly declared to be objectionable, and so it was with coal at Tankerville.