e be cold-shouldered at the clubs, and treated
as one whose hands were red with blood? or would he become more
popular than ever, and receive an ovation after his acquittal?

In the meantime Madame Goesler started on her journey for Prague.

CHAPTER LVIII

The Two Dukes

It was necessary that the country should be governed, even though
Mr. Bonteen had been murdered;--and in order that it should be duly
governed it was necessary that Mr. Bonteen's late place at the Board
of Trade should be filled. There was some hesitation as to the
filling it, and when the arrangement was completed people were very
much surprised indeed. Mr. Bonteen had been appointed chiefly because
it was thought that he might in that office act as a quasi House of
Commons deputy to the Duke of Omnium in carrying out his great scheme
of a five-farthinged penny and a ten-pennied shilling. The Duke, in
spite of his wealth and rank and honour, was determined to go on with
his great task. Life would be nothing to him now unless he could at
least hope to arrange the five farthings. When his wife had bullied
him about the Garter he had declared to her, and with perfect truth,
that he had never asked for anything. He had gone on to say that he
never would ask for anything; and he certainly did not think that
he was betraying himself with reference to that assurance when he
suggested to Mr. Gresham that he would himself take the place left
vacant by Mr. Bonteen--of course retaining his seat in the Cabinet.

"I should hardly have ventured to suggest such an arrangement to your
Grace," said the Prime Minister.

"Feeling that it might be so, I thought that I would venture to
ask," said the Duke. "I am sure you know that I am the last man to
interfere as to place or the disposition of power."

"Quite the last man," said Mr. Gresham.

"But it has always been held that the Board of Trade is not
incompatible with the Peerage."

"Oh dear, yes."

"And I can feel myself nearer to this affair of mine there than I can
elsewhere."

Mr. Gresham of course had no objection to urge. This great nobleman,
who was now asking for Mr. Bonteen's shoes, had been Chancellor of
the Exchequer, and would have remained Chancellor of the Exchequer
had not the mantle of his nobility fallen upon him. At the present
moment he held an office in which peers are often temporarily
shelved, or put away, perhaps, out of harm's way for the time, so
that they may be brought do