she
stooped over him and kissed him. "Do not think I am angry with you
because the thing vexes me. I am dreaming always of some day when we
may go away together with the children, and rest in some pretty spot,
and live as other people live."

"It would be very stupid," she muttered to herself as she left the
room.

He did go up to town for the Cabinet meeting. Whatever may have been
done at that august assembly there was certainly no resignation, or
the world would have heard it. It is probable, too, that nothing was
said about these newspaper articles. Things if left to themselves
will generally die at last. The old Duke and Phineas Finn and
Barrington Erle were all of opinion that the best plan for the
present was to do nothing. "Has anything been settled?" the Duchess
asked Phineas when he came back.

"Oh yes;--the Queen's Speech. But there isn't very much in it."

"But about the payment of this money?"

"I haven't heard a word about it," said Phineas.

"You're just as bad as all the rest, Mr. Finn, with your pretended
secrecy. A girl with her first sweetheart isn't half so fussy as a
young Cabinet Minister."

"The Cabinet Ministers get used to it sooner, I think," said Phineas
Finn.

Parliament had already met before Mr. Slide had quite determined in
what way he would carry on the war. He could indeed go on writing
pernicious articles about the Prime Minister _ad infinitum_,--from
year's end to year's end. It was an occupation in which he took
delight, and for which he imagined himself to be peculiarly well
suited. But readers will become tired even of abuse if it be not
varied. And the very continuation of such attacks would seem to imply
that they were not much heeded. Other papers had indeed taken the
matter up,--but they had taken it up only to drop it. The subject had
not been their own. The little discovery had been due not to their
acumen, and did not therefore bear with them the highest interest. It
had almost seemed as though nothing would come of it;--for Mr. Slide
in his wildest ambition could have hardly imagined the vexation and
hesitation, the nervousness and serious discussions which his words
had occasioned among the great people at Matching. But certainly the
thing must not be allowed to pass away as a matter of no moment. Mr.
Slide had almost worked his mind up to real horror as he thought of
it. What! A prime minister, a peer, a great duke,--put a man forward
as a candidate for a borou