Second String is a story of class differences, small-town scandal, politics and romance in early 20th Century England. Published in 1910, this novel has recently become available on Project Gutenberg. Link to the book: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38796
Our hero, Andy Hayes, has just returned from Canada to his small home-town of Meriton, not far from London. There he meets his old friend Harry Belfield, the son of a wealthy estate owner. Harry is a candidate for Parliament, and he enlists Andy to help by speaking on his behalf at meetings.
The two young men are very different. Harry has all the advantages of wealth and education, but he is a wastrel and a playboy. Andy, on the other hand, is from a respectable but not wealthy home. He has only a grammar-school education, but he is sensible, serious, and hard-working. Andy worships Harry and thinks he can do no wrong. He is flattered to be invited to Harry’s home and to be introduced to Harry’s social circle in London. Harry accepts the adulation as due and proper from a “lower class” person like Andy. Andy is the “second string” of the title, always a follower of his friend Harry.
The intrigue starts when Harry becomes engaged to Miss Vivien Wellgood, all the while carrying on a secret flirtation with Vivien’s hired companion, Miss Isobel Vintry. Harry’s father, a widower, also has his eye on Miss Vintry as a possible wife. When Andy discovers the secret relationship of Harry and Isobel, he begins to see that his friend is not so perfect a gentleman after all, but he says nothing, out of loyalty to his friend. But when the elder Mr. Belfield finds Harry kissing Isobel, the scandal breaks, Harry ends his engagement to Vivien and elopes with Isobel. His father is outraged and Harry’s reputation and hopes for Parliament are dashed.
Andy, the second stringer, reluctantly comes to the fore. He takes Harry’s place in the Parliamentary election, which he wins with the support of old Mr. Belfield. He becomes the hero of the town, and after some time, also gains the affection of Miss Wellgood, who becomes his wife.
Anthony Hope (1863-1933), the author of this charming novel, is best known for his book “The Prisoner of Zenda,” which inspired the 1937 movie of the same name. Many of Hope’s novels are available from Project Gutenberg.
Thanks for posting this review. Reading it made me wonder about the politics of the two friends, Andy and Harry. They come from different classes and have differing ethical standards in their dealings with women, I gathered. But are there any ideological differences between them as candidates for Parliament?