s, and the misfortune
was one which could not be avoided. He might have ill-used his own
wife and other wives' husbands without special remark, had he not
been made a Knight of the Garter. The Minister of the day, however,
had known the value of the man's support, and, being thick-skinned,
had lived through the reproaches uttered without much damage to
himself. Now the wicked Marquis was dead, and it was the privilege
and the duty of the Duke of Omnium to select another Knight.

There was a good deal said about it at the time. There was a
rumour,--no doubt a false rumour,--that the Crown insisted in this
instance on dictating a choice to the Duke of Omnium. But even were
it so, the Duke could not have been very much aggrieved, as the
choice dictated was supposed to be that of himself. The late Duke
had been a Knight, and when he had died, it was thought that his
successor would succeed also to the ribbon. The new Duke had been at
that time in the Cabinet, and had remained there, but had accepted
an office inferior in rank to that which he had formerly filled.
The whole history of these things has been written, and may be read
by the curious. The Duchess, newly a duchess then and very keen in
reference to her husband's rank, had instigated him to demand the
ribbon as his right. This he had not only declined to do, but had
gone out of the way to say that he thought it should be bestowed
elsewhere. It had been bestowed elsewhere, and there had been a
very general feeling that he had been passed over because his easy
temperament in such matters had been seen and utilised. Now, whether
the Crown interfered or not,--a matter on which no one short of
a writer of newspaper articles dares to make a suggestion till
time shall have made mellow the doings of sovereigns and their
ministers,--the suggestion was made. The Duke of St. Bungay ventured
to say to his friend that no other selection was possible.

"Recommend her Majesty to give it to myself!" said the Prime
Minister.

"You will find it to be her Majesty's wish. It has been very common.
Sir Robert Walpole had it."

"I am not Sir Robert Walpole." The Duke named other examples of Prime
Ministers who had been gartered by themselves. But our Prime Minister
declared it to be out of the question. No honour of that description
should be conferred upon him as long as he held his present position.
The old Duke was much in earnest, and there was a great deal said on
the subject,