honourable gentlemen from whom those questions have come, and
therefore I have the less compunction in telling them that it is no
part of my duty on this occasion to gratify a morbid and an indecent
curiosity." Then there was a cry of "Order," and an appeal to the
Speaker. Certain gentlemen wished to know whether indecent was
parliamentary. The Speaker, with some hesitation, expressed his
opinion that the word, as then used, was not open to objection from
him. He thought that it was within the scope of a member's rights to
charge another member with indecent curiosity. "If," said Phineas,
rising again to his legs, for he had sat down for a moment, "the
gentleman who called for a name will rise in his place and repeat the
demand, I will recall the word indecent and substitute another,--or
others. I will tell him that he is one who, regardless of the real
conduct of the Prime Minister, either as a man or as a servant of
the Crown, is only anxious to inflict an unmanly wound in order that
he may be gratified by seeing the pain which he inflicts." Then
he paused, but as no further question was asked, he continued his
statement. "A candidate had been brought forward," he said, "by those
interested in the Duke's affairs. A man whom he would not name, but
who, he trusted, would never succeed in his ambition to occupy a seat
in that House, had been brought forward, and certain tradesmen in
Silverbridge had been asked to support him as the Duke's nominee.
There was no doubt about it. The House perhaps could understand that
the local adherents and neighbours of a man so high in rank and
wealth as the Duke of Omnium would not gladly see the privileges
of their lord diminished. Perhaps, too, it occurred to them that a
Prime Minister could not have his eye everywhere. There would always
be worthy men in boroughs who liked to exercise some second-hand
authority. At any rate it was the case that this candidate was
encouraged. Then the Duke had heard it, and had put his foot upon
the little mutiny, and had stamped it out at once. He might perhaps
here," he said, "congratulate the House on the acquisition it had
received by the failure of that candidate. So far, at any rate,"
he thought, "it must be admitted that the Duke had been free from
blame;--but now he came to the gravamen of the charge." The gravamen
of the charge is so well known to the reader that the simple account
which Phineas gave of it need not be repeated. The Duke had p