and brought out, if necessary,
for further use at some future time.

"Mr. Finn," said the Duke, "I feel indebted to you for the trouble
you have taken."

"It was only a pleasant duty."

"I am grateful to you for the manner in which it was performed." This
was all the Duke said, and Phineas felt it to be cold. The Duke, in
truth, was grateful; but gratitude with him always failed to exhibit
itself readily. From the world at large Phineas Finn received great
praise for the manner in which he had performed his task.

CHAPTER LVIII

"Quite Settled"

The abuse which was now publicly heaped on the name of Ferdinand
Lopez hit the man very hard; but not so hard perhaps as his rejection
by Lady Eustace. That was an episode in his life of which even he
felt ashamed, and of which he was unable to shake the disgrace from
his memory. He had no inner appreciation whatsoever of what was
really good or what was really bad in a man's conduct. He did not
know that he had done evil in applying to the Duke for the money. He
had only meant to attack the Duke; and when the money had come it
had been regarded as justifiable prey. And when after receiving the
Duke's money, he had kept also Mr. Wharton's money, he had justified
himself again by reminding himself that Mr. Wharton certainly
owed him much more than that. In a sense he was what is called a
gentleman. He knew how to speak, and how to look, how to use a knife
and fork, how to dress himself, and how to walk. But he had not the
faintest notion of the feelings of a gentleman. He had, however, a
very keen conception of the evil of being generally ill spoken of.
Even now, though he was making up his mind to leave England for a
long term of years, he understood the disadvantage of leaving it
under so heavy a cloud;--and he understood also that the cloud might
possibly impede his going altogether. Even in Coleman Street they
were looking black upon him, and Mr. Hartlepod went so far as to say
to Lopez himself, that, "by Jove, he had put his foot in it." He had
endeavoured to be courageous under his burden, and every day walked
into the offices of the Mining Company, endeavouring to look as
though he had committed no fault of which he had to be ashamed. But
after the second day he found that nothing was said to him of the
affairs of the Company, and on the fourth day Mr. Hartlepod informed
him that the time allowed for paying up his shares had passed by, and
that another loc