ll make me unhappy. And you?"

"Do you think that I cannot be honest too,--at any rate to you? It
does fret me. I do not like to think that I shall be without work."

"Yes;--Othello's occupation will be gone,--for awhile; for awhile."
Then she came up to him and put both her hands on his breast. "But
yet, Othello, I shall not be all unhappy."

"Where will be your contentment?"

"In you. It was making you ill. Rough people, whom the tenderness of
your nature could not well endure, trod upon you, and worried you
with their teeth and wounded you everywhere. I could have turned at
them again with my teeth, and given them worry for worry;--but you
could not. Now you will be saved from them, and so I shall not be
discontented." All this she said looking up into his face, still with
that smile which was half pathetic and half ludicrous.

"Then I will be contented too," he said as he kissed her.

CHAPTER LXXIII

Only the Duke of Omnium

The night of the debate arrived, but before the debate was commenced
Sir Timothy Beeswax got up to make a personal explanation. He thought
it right to state to the House how it came to pass that he found
himself bound to leave the Ministry at so important a crisis in its
existence. Then an observation was made by an honourable member of
the Government,--presumably in a whisper, but still loud enough to
catch the sharp ears of Sir Timothy, who now sat just below the
gangway. It was said afterwards that the gentleman who made the
observation,--an Irish gentleman named Fitzgibbon, conspicuous rather
for his loyalty to his party than his steadiness,--had purposely
taken the place in which he then sat, that Sir Timothy might hear
the whisper. The whisper suggested that falling houses were often
left by certain animals. It was certainly a very loud whisper,--but,
if gentlemen are to be allowed to whisper at all, it is almost
impossible to restrain the volume of the voice. To restrain Mr.
Fitzgibbon had always been found difficult. Sir Timothy, who did not
lack pluck, turned at once upon his assailant, and declared that
words had been used with reference to himself which the honourable
member did not dare to get upon his legs and repeat. Larry
Fitzgibbon, as the gentleman was called, looked him full in the
face, but did not move his hat from his head or stir a limb. It
was a pleasant little episode in the evening's work, and afforded
satisfaction to the House generally. Then Sir Timot