nothing of this for certain, though he suspects it, and by George,
Webb will take an Archbishopric, and Jonathan a--no,--damme--Jonathan
will take an Arch-bishopric from James, I warrant me, gladly enough.
Your Duke hath the string of the whole matter in his hand," the
Secretary went on. "We have that which will force Marlborough to keep
his distance, and he goes out of London in a fortnight. Prior hath his
business; he left me this morning, and mark me, Harry, should fate carry
off our august, our beloved, our most gouty and plethoric Queen, and
Defender of the Faith, la bonne cause triomphera. A la sante de la bonne
cause! Everything good comes from France. Wine comes from France; give
us another bumper to the bonne cause." We drank it together.

"Will the bonne cause turn Protestant?" asked Mr. Esmond.

"No, hang it," says the other, "he'll defend our Faith as in duty bound,
but he'll stick by his own. The Hind and the Panther shall run in the
same car, by Jove. Righteousness and peace shall kiss each other: and
we'll have Father Massillon to walk down the aisle of St. Paul's, cheek
by jowl with Dr. Sacheverel. Give us more wine; here's a health to the
bonne cause, kneeling--damme, let's drink it kneeling." He was quite
flushed and wild with wine as he was talking.

"And suppose," says Esmond, who always had this gloomy apprehension,
"the bonne cause should give us up to the French, as his father and
uncle did before him?"

"Give us up to the French!" starts up Bolingbroke; "is there any English
gentleman that fears that? You who have seen Blenheim and Ramillies,
afraid of the French! Your ancestors and mine, and brave old Webb's
yonder, have met them in a hundred fields, and our children will be
ready to do the like. Who's he that wishes for more men from England? My
Cousin Westmoreland? Give us up to the French, pshaw!"

"His uncle did," says Mr. Esmond.

"And what happened to his grandfather?" broke out St. John, filling out
another bumper. "Here's to the greatest monarch England ever saw; here's
to the Englishman that made a kingdom of her. Our great King came from
Huntingdon, not Hanover; our fathers didn't look for a Dutchman to rule
us. Let him come and we'll keep him, and we'll show him Whitehall. If
he's a traitor let us have him here to deal with him; and then there are
spirits here as great as any that have gone before. There are men
here that can look at danger in the face and not be frightened at i