on to Mr. Slide's letter had brought
back his good humour, and said nothing further then as to his
difficulties. There were a few words to be spoken as to some
future Cabinet meeting, something perhaps to be settled as to some
man's work or position, a hint to be given, and a lesson to be
learned,--for of these inner Cabinet Councils between these two
statesmen there was frequent use; and then the Duke of St. Bungay
took his leave.

Our Duke, as soon as his friend had left him, rang for his private
secretary, and went to work diligently, as though nothing had
disturbed him. I do not know that his labours on that occasion
were of a very high order. Unless there be some special effort of
lawmaking before the country, some reform bill to be passed, some
attempt at education to be made, some fetters to be forged or to
be relaxed, a Prime Minister is not driven hard by the work of his
portfolio,--as are his colleagues. But many men were in want of many
things, and contrived by many means to make their wants known to the
Prime Minister. A dean would fain be a bishop, or a judge a chief
justice, or a commissioner a chairman, or a secretary a commissioner.
Knights would fain be baronets, baronets barons, and barons earls.
In one guise or another the wants of gentlemen were made known, and
there was work to be done. A ribbon cannot be given away without
breaking the hearts of, perhaps, three gentlemen and of their wives
and daughters. And then he went down to the House of Lords,--for the
last time this Session as far as work was concerned. On the morrow
legislative work would be over, and the gentlemen of Parliament would
be sent to their country houses, and to their pleasant country joys.

It had been arranged that on the day after the prorogation of
Parliament the Duchess of Omnium should go down to Gatherum to
prepare for the coming of the people, which was to commence about
three days later, taking her ministers, Mrs. Finn and Locock, with
her; and that her husband with his private secretaries and dispatch
boxes was to go for those three days to Matching, a smaller place
than Gatherum, but one to which they were much better accustomed. If,
as the Duchess thought to be not unlikely, the Duke should prolong
his stay for a few days at Matching, she felt confident that she
would be able to bear the burden of the Castle on her own shoulders.
She had thought it to be very probable that he would prolong his stay
at Matching, and