supporting before it went from their own House, had been
a private Bill. As such it had received a general support from the
Government. It had been materially altered in the other House under
the auspices of his noble friend on the woolsack, but from those
alterations he was obliged to dissent. Then he said some very heavy
things against the Lord Chancellor, and increased in acerbity as
he described what he called the altered mind of his honourable
and learned friend the Attorney-General. He then made some very
uncomplimentary allusions to the Prime Minister, whom he accused
of being more than ordinarily reserved with his subordinates. The
speech was manifestly arranged and delivered with the express view of
damaging the Coalition, of which at the time he himself made a part.
Men observed that things were very much altered when such a course as
that was taken in the House of Commons. But that was the course taken
on this occasion by Sir Timothy Beeswax, and was so far taken with
success that the Lords' amendments were rejected and the Government
was beaten in a thin House, by a large majority,--composed partly of
its own men. "What am I to do?" asked the Prime Minister of the old
Duke.

The old Duke's answer was exactly the same as that given by Mr. Monk.
"We cannot resign in August." And then he went on. "We must wait
and see how things go at the beginning of next Session. The chief
question is whether Sir Timothy should not be asked to resign."

Then the Session was at an end, and they who had been staunch to the
last got out of town as quick as the trains could carry them.

CHAPTER LXVII

Mrs. Lopez Prepares to Move

The Duchess of Omnium was not the most discreet woman in the world.
That was admitted by her best friends, and was the great sin alleged
against her by her worst enemies. In her desire to say sharp things,
she would say the sharp thing in the wrong place, and in her wish to
be good-natured she was apt to run into offences. Just as she was
about to leave town, which did not take place for some days after
Parliament had risen, she made an indiscreet proposition to her
husband. "Should you mind my asking Mrs. Lopez down to Matching? We
shall only be a very small party."

Now the very name of Lopez was terrible to the Duke's ears. Anything
which recalled the wretch and that wretched tragedy to the Duke's
mind gave him a stab. The Duchess ought to have felt that any
communication between her h