eat favourite of poor Sir
Thomas Lawrence. But for my part I have never seen any one in the least
like it, and I think I am sure that you have not."

"It reminds me--" said Egremont musingly.

"Of what you have dreamed," said Lady Marney.

"Perhaps so," said Egremont; "indeed I think it must have been a dream."

"Well, the vision shall still hover before you," said his mother; "and
you shall find this portrait to-morrow over your chimney in the Albany."

Book 4 Chapter 3

"Strangers must withdraw."

"Division: clear the gallery. Withdraw."

"Nonsense; no; it's quite ridiculous; quite absurd. Some fellow must
get up. Send to the Carlton; send to the Reform; send to Brookes's.
Are your men ready? No; are your's? I am sure I can't say. What does
it mean? Most absurd! Are there many fellows in the library? The
smoking-room is quite full. All our men are paired till half-past
eleven. It wants five minutes to the halfhour. What do you think of
Trenchard's speech? I don't care for ourselves; I am sorry for him. Well
that is very charitable. Withdraw, withdraw; you must withdraw."

"Where are you going, Fitztheron?" said a Conservative whipling.

"I must go; I am paired till half-past eleven, and it wants some
minutes, and my man is not here."

"Confound it!"

"How will it go?"

"Gad, I don't know."

"Fishy eh?"

"Deuced!" said the under-whip in an under-tone, pale and speaking behind
his teeth.

The division bell was still ringing; peers and diplomatists and
strangers were turned out; members came rushing in from library and
smoking-room; some desperate cabs just arrived in time to land their
passengers in the waiting-room. The doors were locked.

The mysteries of the Lobby are only for the initiated. Three quarters
of an hour after the division was called, the result was known to the
exoteric world. Majority for Ministers thirty-seven! Never had the
opposition made such a bad division, and this too on their trial of
strength for the session. Everything went wrong. Lord Milford was away
without a pair. Mr Ormsby, who had paired with Mr Berners, never came,
and let his man poll; for which he was infinitely accursed, particularly
by the expectant twelve hundred a-yearers, but not wanting anything
himself, and having an income of forty thousand pounds paid quarterly,
Mr Ormsby bore their reported indignation like a lamb.

There were several other similar or analogous mischances; the
whigs contriv