ly,--declared her
purpose of ruining Mr. Sprout. There was something in this threat
which grated terribly against the Duke's sense of honour;--that his
wife should threaten to ruin a poor tradesman, that she should do so
in reference to the political affairs of the borough which he all
but owned,--that she should do so in declared opposition to him! Of
course he ought to have known that her sin consisted simply in her
determination to vex him at the moment. A more good-natured woman did
not live;--or one less prone to ruin any one. But any reference to
the Silverbridge election brought back upon him the remembrance of
the cruel attacks which had been made upon him, and rendered him
for the time moody, morose, and wretched. So they again parted ill
friends, and hardly spoke when they met at dinner.

The next morning there reached Matching a letter which greatly added
to his bitterness of spirit against the world in general and against
her in particular. The letter, though marked "private," had been
opened, as were all his letters, by Mr. Warburton, but the private
Secretary thought it necessary to show the letter to the Prime
Minister. He, when he had read it, told Warburton that it did not
signify, and maintained for half-an-hour an attitude of quiescence.
Then he walked forth, having the letter hidden in his hand, and
finding his wife alone, gave it her to read. "See what you have
brought upon me," he said, "by your interference and disobedience."
The letter was as follows:--

Manchester Square, August 3, 187--.

MY LORD DUKE,

I consider myself entitled to complain to your Grace of
the conduct with which I was treated at the last election
at Silverbridge, whereby I was led into very heavy
expenditure without the least chance of being returned for
the borough. I am aware that I had no direct conversation
with your Grace on the subject, and that your Grace can
plead that, as between man and man, I had no authority
from yourself for supposing that I should receive your
Grace's support. But I was distinctly asked by the Duchess
to stand, and was assured by her that if I did so I should
have all the assistance that your Grace's influence could
procure for me;--and it was also explained to me that
your Grace's official position made it inexpedient that
your Grace on this special occasion should have any
personal conference with your own candidate. Under these
c