your Grace."

"We had better meet to-morrow at two, and, if possible, I will see
her Majesty in the afternoon. Good night, Mr. Monk."

"Good night, Duke."

"My reign is ended. You are a good deal an older man than I, and
yet probably yours has yet to begin." Mr. Monk smiled and shook his
head as he left the room, not trusting himself to discuss so large a
subject at so late an hour of the night.

Without waiting a moment after his colleague's departure, the Prime
Minister,--for he was still Prime Minister,--went into his wife's
room, knowing that she was waiting up till she should hear the result
of the division, and there he found Mrs. Finn with her. "Is it over?"
asked the Duchess.

"Yes;--there has been a division. Mr. Monk has just been with me."

"Well!"

"We have beaten them, of course, as we always do," said the Duke,
attempting to be pleasant. "You didn't suppose there was anything to
fear? Your husband has always bid you keep up your courage;--has he
not, Mrs. Finn?"

"My husband has lost his senses, I think," she said. "He has taken to
such storming and raving about his political enemies that I hardly
dare to open my mouth."

"Tell me what has been done, Plantagenet," ejaculated the Duchess.

"Don't you be as unreasonable as Mrs. Finn, Cora. The House has voted
against Sir Orlando's amendment by a majority of nine."

"Only nine!"

"And I shall cease to be Prime Minister to-morrow."

"You don't mean to say that it's settled?"

"Quite settled. The play has been played, and the curtain has fallen,
and the lights are being put out, and the poor weary actors may go
home to bed."

"But on such an amendment surely any majority would have done."

"No, my dear. I will not name a number, but nine certainly would not
do."

"And it is all over?"

"My Ministry is all over, if you mean that."

"Then everything is over for me. I shall settle down in the country
and build cottages, and mix draughts. You, Marie, will still be
going up the tree. If Mr. Finn manages well he may come to be Prime
Minister some day."

"He has hardly such ambition, Lady Glen."

"The ambition will come fast enough;--will it not, Plantagenet? Let
him once begin to dream of it as possible, and the desire will soon
be strong enough. How should you feel if it were so?"

"It is quite impossible," said Mrs. Finn, gravely.

"I don't see why anything is impossible. Sir Orlando will be Prime
Minister now, and Sir Timothy Beeswa