o, second to none in the public
service;--am I to have my brother-in-law, my wife's brother, gazetted to
a post I might have flung to my valet!"'

"There I admit he was wrong."

"That is to say, sir, that you feel the personal injury his indiscreet
conduct has inflicted. You see your own ruin in his rashness."

"I can't suppose it will go that far."

"And why not, pray? When a Minister or Secretary of State dares to
offend me--for it is levelled at _me_--by appointing my brother to such
an office, he says as plainly as words can speak, 'Your sun is set; your
influence is gone. We place you below the salt to-day, that to-morrow
we may put you outside the door.' _You_ cannot be supposed to know these
things, but _I_ know them. Shall I give you a counsel, sir?"

"Any advice from you, my Lord, is always acceptable."

"Give up the line. Retire; be a gamekeeper, a billiard-marker; turn
steward of a steamer, or correspond for one of the penny papers,
but don't attempt to serve a country that pays its gentlemen like
toll-keepers."

Temple seemed to regard this little outburst as such an ordinary event
that he dipped his pen into the ink-bottle, and was about to resume
writing, when Lord Culduff said, in a sharp, peevish tone,--

"I trust your brother and sister do not mean to come to Rome?"

"I believe they do, my Lord. I think they have promised to pay the
L'Estranges a visit at Albano."

"My Lady must write at once and prevent it. This cannot possibly be
permitted. Where are they now?"

"At Como. This last letter was dated from the inn at that place."

Lord Culduff rang the bell, and directed the servant to ask if her
Ladyship had gone out.

The servant returned to say that her Ladyship was going to dress, but
would see his Lordship on her way downstairs.

"Whose card is this? Where did this come from?" asked Lord Culduff, as
he petulantly turned it round and round, trying to read the name.

"Oh, that's Mr. Cutbill. He called twice yesterday. I can't imagine
what has brought him to Rome."

"Perhaps I might hazard a guess," said Lord Culduff, with a grim
smile. "But I'll not see him. You'll say, Bramleigh, that I am very
much engaged; that I have a press of most important business; that the
Cardinal Secretary is always here. Say anything, in short, that will
mean No, Cutbill!"

"He 's below at this moment."

"Then get rid of him! My dear fellow, the A B C of your craft is to
dismiss the importunate. Go a