happy, saturnine, and generally silent except when
closeted with his ancient mentor. And he knew that he was saturnine
and silent, and that it behoved him as a leader of men to be genial
and communicative,--listening to counsel even if he did not follow
it, and at any rate appearing to have confidence in his colleagues.

During this time Mr. Slide was not inactive, and in his heart of
hearts the Prime Minister was more afraid of Mr. Slide's attacks than
of those made upon him by Sir Orlando Drought. Now that Parliament
was sitting, and the minds of men were stirred to political feeling
by the renewed energy of the House, a great deal was being said in
many quarters about the last Silverbridge election. The papers had
taken the matter up generally, some accusing the Prime Minister and
some defending. But the defence was almost as unpalatable to him as
the accusation. It was admitted on all sides that the Duke, both
as a peer and as a Prime Minister, should have abstained from any
interference whatever in the election. And it was also admitted on
all sides that he had not so abstained,--if there was any truth at
all in the allegation that he had paid money for Mr. Lopez. But
it was pleaded on his behalf that the Dukes of Omnium had always
interfered at Silverbridge, and that no Reform Bill had ever had any
effect in reducing their influence in that borough. Frequent allusion
was made to the cautious Dod who, year after year, had reported that
the Duke of Omnium exercised considerable influence in the borough.
And then the friendly newspapers went on to explain that the Duke had
in this instance stayed his hand, and that the money, if paid at all,
had been paid because the candidate who was to have been his nominee
had been thrown over, when the Duke at the last moment made up his
mind that he would abandon the privilege which had hitherto been
always exercised by the head of his family, and which had been
exercised more than once or twice in his own favour. But Mr. Slide,
day after day, repeated his question, "We want to know whether the
Prime Minister did or did not pay the election expenses of Mr. Lopez
at the last Silverbridge election, and if so, why he paid them. We
shall continue to ask this question till it has been answered, and
when asking it we again say that the actual correspondence on the
subject between the Duke and Mr. Lopez is in our own hands." And
then, after a while, allusions were made to the Duchess;-