s or their heels are
highest."

"I quite believe in the Duke," said Mr. Roby, almost alarmed by the
suggestion which his new friend had seemed to make.

"So do I, Roby. He has not the obduracy of Lord Brock, nor the
ineffable manner of Mr. Mildmay, nor the brilliant intellect of Mr.
Gresham."

"Nor the picturesque imagination of Mr. Daubeny," said Mr. Roby,
feeling himself bound to support the character of his late chief.

"Nor his audacity," said Mr. Rattler. "But he has peculiar gifts
of his own, and gifts fitted for the peculiar combination of
circumstances, if he will only be content to use them. He is a just,
unambitious, intelligent man, in whom after a while the country
would come to have implicit confidence. But he is thin-skinned and
ungenial."

"I have got into his boat," said Roby, enthusiastically, "and he will
find that I shall be true to him."

"There is no better boat to be in at present," said the slightly
sarcastic Rattler. "As to the Drought pinnace, it will be more
difficult to get it afloat than the four ships themselves. To tell
the truth honestly, Roby, we have to rid ourselves of Sir Orlando. I
have a great regard for the man."

"I can't say I ever liked him," said Roby.

"I don't talk about liking,--but he has achieved success, and is to
be regarded. Now he has lost his head, and he is bound to get a fall.
The question is,--who shall fall with him?"

"I do not feel myself at all bound to sacrifice myself."

"I don't know who does. Sir Timothy Beeswax, I suppose, will resent
the injury done to him. But I can hardly think that a strong
government can be formed by Sir Orlando Drought and Sir Timothy
Beeswax. Any secession is a weakness,--of course; but I think he may
survive it." And so Mr. Rattler and Mr. Roby made up their minds that
the First Lord of the Admiralty might be thrown overboard without
much danger to the Queen's ship.

Sir Orlando, however, was quite in earnest. The man had spirit enough
to feel that no alternative was left to him after he had condescended
to suggest that he should be asked to dinner and had been refused. He
tried Mr. Roby, and found that Mr. Roby was a mean fellow, wedded,
as he told himself, to his salary. Then he sounded Lord Drummond,
urging various reasons. The country was not safe without more ships.
Mr. Monk was altogether wrong about revenue. Mr. Finn's ideas about
Ireland were revolutionary. But Lord Drummond thought that, upon the
whole, the