ind
promise before my eyes. Mr.--, the member for your borough of--, has, I
believe, accepted the Chiltern Hundreds? I feel truly obliged to you for
so promptly fulfilling your promise to me."

"Hem! my dear Pelham, hem!" murmured Lord Dawton. I bent forward as if
in the attitude of listening respect, but really the more clearly to
perceive, and closely to enjoy his confusion. He looked up and caught my
eye, and not being too much gratified with its involuntary expression,
he grew more and more embarrassed; at last he summoned courage.

"Why, my dear Sir," he said, "I did, it is true, promise you that
borough; but individual friendship must frequently be sacrificed to the
public good. All our party insisted upon returning Mr. V--in place of
the late member: what could I do? I mentioned your claims, they all, to
a man, enlarged upon your rival's: to be sure, he is an older person,
and his family is very powerful in the Lower House; in short, you
perceive, my dear Pelham--that is, you are aware--you can feel for the
delicacy of my situation--one could not appear too eager for one's own
friends at first, and I was forced to concede."

Lord Dawton was now fairly delivered of his speech; it was, therefore,
only left me to congratulate him on his offspring.

"My dear lord," I began, "you could not have pleased me better: Mr. V.
is a most estimable man, and I would not, for the world, have had
you suspected of placing such a trifle as your own honour--that is
to say--your promise to me, before the commands--that is to say, the
interests--of your party; but no more of this now. Was your lordship at
the Duke of--'s last night?"

Dawton seized joyfully the opportunity of changing the conversation, and
we talked and laughed on indifferent matters till I thought it time
to withdraw; this I did with the most cordial appearance of regard and
esteem; nor was it till I had fairly set my foot out of his door, that
I suffered myself to indulge the "black bile," at my breast. I turned
towards the Green Park, and was walking slowly along the principal mall
with my hands behind me, and my eyes on the ground, when I heard my own
name uttered. On looking back, I perceived Lord Vincent on horseback; he
stopped, and conversed with me. In the humour I was in with Lord Dawton,
I received him with greater warmth than I had done of late; and he also,
being in a social mood, seemed so well satisfied with our rencontre, and
my behaviour, that he