sticks together. They
are now loosened and there is nobody to tie them up." [58] In any case such
a Bill would require very careful steering. The first ominous sign of a
split occurred when it became necessary to fill the vacancy caused by the
retirement of Sir Charles Wood. A place in the Cabinet was offered to Mr.
Lowe, but he refused on the ground that he could not support Reform. Lord
Russell, with characteristic abruptness and without consulting his
colleagues, then offered the place to Mr. Goschen, who was quite unknown to
the public; he had only been three years in Parliament, and held a
subordinate office. [59] The choice was an admirable one, but to those who
had not read Mr. Goschen's book upon Foreign Exchanges the appointment
might well seem inexplicable.

[58] "Life of Lord Granville," by Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice.

[59] Promotion so rapid has only occurred once or twice in Parliamentary
history. See note, Morley's "Life of Gladstone," vol. ii, p. 156.

LONDON, _February_ 3, 1866

Sir Charles Wood [60] called--wished to see me alone--chiefly in
order to talk about John, his occasional sudden acts without
consulting colleagues, and the bad effect of so acting. He gave
some instances, in which he was quite mistaken, some in which he
was right. The subject was a difficult one for me--but his
intentions were very kind, and as I heartily agree with him in the
main, we got on very well, and as a wife I was glad to have the
opportunity of saying some things of my dearest, dearest John, who
is not always understood. Sir Charles took my hand, kissed it, and
said: "God bless you."

[60] Sir Charles Wood retired with the title of Lord Halifax.

Early in March Lady Russell writes to her son Rollo, at Harrow, of a very
agreeable evening at Chesham Place, when Mr. Froude and Mr. Bright were
among her guests.

_Lady Russell to Mr. Rollo Russell_

_March_ 1, 1866

I wish you had been here at the Friday dinner.... It was such a
pleasant little dinner. Bright was between Johnny and me; ... his
conversation is interesting; he is warm hearted and very much in
earnest. We talked of Milton, Shakespeare, and poetry in general;
he has intense admiration for Milton, as a man and as a poet, as he
ought to have; but agreed with me that it is less improbable that
the world should produce another Milton than another Shakespeare.
He said reading