Chief Secretary, Mr. Finn,--between probably the
larger number of those who were contented with the duties of their
own offices and the pleasures and profits arising therefrom. Some
by this time hardly coalesced at all, as was the case with Sir
Gregory Grogram and Sir Timothy Beeswax, the Attorney-General and
Solicitor-General;--and was especially the case with the Prime
Minister and Sir Orlando Drought. But in one or two happy cases the
Coalition was sincere and loyal,--and in no case was this more so
than with regard to Mr. Rattler and Mr. Roby. Mr. Rattler and Mr.
Roby had throughout their long parliamentary lives belonged to
opposite parties, and had been accustomed to regard each other with
mutual jealousy and almost with mutual hatred. But now they had come
to see how equal, how alike, and how sympathetic were their tastes,
and how well each might help the other. As long as Mr. Rattler could
keep his old place at the Treasury,--and his ambition never stirred
him to aught higher,--he was quite contented that his old rival
should be happy at the Admiralty. And that old rival, when he looked
about him and felt his present comfort, when he remembered how
short-lived had been the good things which had hitherto come in his
way, and how little probable it was that long-lived good things
should be his when the Coalition was broken up, manfully determined
that loyalty to the present Head of the Government was his duty. He
had sat for too many years on the same bench with Sir Orlando to
believe much in his power of governing the country. Therefore, when
Sir Orlando dropped his hint Mr. Roby did not take it.

"I wonder whether it's true that Sir Orlando complained to the Duke
that he was not asked to dinner?" said Mr. Roby to Mr. Rattler.

"I should hardly think so. I can't fancy that he would have the
pluck," said Mr. Rattler. "The Duke isn't the easiest man in the
world to speak to about such a thing as that."

"It would be a monstrous thing for a man to do! But Drought's head is
quite turned. You can see that."

"We never thought very much about him, you know, on our side."

"It was what your side thought about him," rejoined Roby, "that put
him where he is now."

"It was the fate of accidents, Roby, which puts so many of us in our
places, and arranges our work for us, and makes us little men or big
men. There are other men besides Drought who have been tossed up in a
blanket till they don't know whether their head