and enjoy, owing to the unusual but calculated recklessness
of my non-official public utterances, an extraordinary popularity with
a large section of the country, the hungry section to which I alluded
last night. It is probable that the course of the present Government
is pretty nearly run, the country is sick of it, and those who put it
into power have not got enough out of it. A dissolution is therefore
an event of the near future; the Conservatives will come in, but they
have no power of organization, and very little political talent at
their backs, above all, they are deficient in energy, probably because
there is nothing that they can destroy and therefore no pickings to
struggle for. In short, they are not 'capaces imperii.' The want of
these qualities and of leaders will very soon undermine their hold
upon the country, always a slight one, and, assisted by a few other
pushing men, I anticipate, by carefully playing into the hands of the
Irish party which will really rule England in the future, being able,
as one of the leaders of the Opposition, to consummate their downfall.
Then will come my opportunity, and, if luck goes with me, I shall be
first Lord of the Treasury within half a dozen years. But now comes
the difficulty. Though I am so popular with the country, I am, for
some reason quite inexplicable to myself, rather at a--hum--a discount
amongst my colleagues and that influential section of society to which
they belong. Now, in order to succeed to the full extent that I have
planned, it is absolutely essential that I should win the countenance
of this class, and the only way that I can see of doing it is by
marrying some woman charming enough to disarm dislike, beautiful
enough to command admiration, rich enough to entertain profusely, and
clever enough to rule England. Those desiderata are all to a striking
degree united in your person, Mrs. Carr, and I have therefore much
pleasure in asking you to become my wife."

"You have, as I understand you, Lord Minster, made a very admirable
statement of how desirable it is for yourself that you should marry
me, but it is not so clear what advantage I should reap by marrying
you."

"Why, the advantages are obvious: if by your help I can become Prime
Minister, you would become the wife of the Prime Minister."

"The prospect fails to dazzle me. I have everything that I want; why
should I strive to reach a grandeur to which I was not born, and
which, to speak the