ide over her with a very high horse.
And let her have her own way a little if you really believe that she
has your interest at heart."

After this he was quite aware that she had got the better of him
altogether. On that occasion he smiled and kissed her, and went his
way. But he was by no means satisfied. That he should be thwarted by
her, ate into his very heart;--and it was a wretched thing to him
that he could not make her understand his feeling in this respect.
If it were to go on he must throw up everything. Ruat coelum,
fiat--proper subordination from his wife in regard to public matters!
No wife had a fuller allowance of privilege, or more complete power
in her hands, as to things fit for women's management. But it was
intolerable to him that she should seek to interfere with him in
matters of a public nature. And she was constantly doing so. She
had always this or that aspirant for office on hand;--this or
that job to be carried, though the jobs were not perhaps much in
themselves;--this or that affair to be managed by her own political
allies, such as Barrington Erle and Phineas Finn. And in his heart he
suspected her of a design of managing the Government in her own way,
with her own particular friend, Mrs. Finn, for her Prime Minister. If
he could in no other way put an end to such evils as these, he must
put an end to his own political life. Ruat coelum, fiat justitia.
Now "justitia" to him was not compatible with feminine interference
in his own special work.

It may therefore be understood that things were not going very
smoothly with the Duke and Duchess; and it may also be understood
why the Duchess had had very little to say to Mr. Lopez about the
election. She was aware that she owed something to Mr. Lopez, whom
she had certainly encouraged to stand for the borough, and she had
therefore sent her card to his wife and was prepared to invite them
both to her parties;--but just at present she was a little tired of
Ferdinand Lopez, and perhaps unjustly disposed to couple him with
that unfortunate wretch, Major Pountney.

CHAPTER XXXIII

Showing That a Man Should Not Howl

Arthur Fletcher, in his letter to Mrs. Lopez, had told her that when
he found out who was to be his antagonist at Silverbridge, it was too
late for him to give up the contest. He was, he said, bound in faith
to continue it by what had passed between himself and others. But in
truth he had not reached his conclusion without