must go and dress
now, Mr. Finn, and I'll ring for somebody to show you your room."

Phineas, as soon as he was alone, thought, not of what the Duchess
had said, but of the manner in which he had greeted his friend,
Madame Goesler. As he remembered what he had done, he also blushed.
Had she been angry with him, and intended to show her anger by her
silence? And why had he done it? What had he meant? He was quite sure
that he would not have given those kisses had he and Madame Goesler
been alone in the room together. The Duchess had applauded him,--but
yet he thought that he regretted it. There had been matters between
him and Marie Goesler of which he was quite sure that the Duchess
knew nothing.

When he went downstairs he found a crowd in the drawing-room, from
among whom the Duke came forward to welcome him. "I am particularly
happy to see you at Matching," said the Duke. "I wish we had shooting
to offer you, but we are too far south for the grouse. That was
a bitter passage of arms the other day, wasn't it? I am fond of
bitterness in debate myself, but I do regret the roughness of the
House of Commons. I must confess that I do." The Duke did not say a
word about the trial, and the Duke's guests followed their host's
example.

The house was full of people, most of whom had before been known
to Phineas, and many of whom had been asked specially to meet him.
Lord and Lady Cantrip were there, and Mr. Monk, and Sir Gregory his
accuser, and the Home Secretary, Sir Harry Coldfoot, with his wife.
Sir Harry had at one time been very keen about hanging our hero, and
was now of course hot with reactionary zeal. To all those who had
been in any way concerned in the prosecution, the accidents by which
Phineas had been enabled to escape had been almost as fortunate
as to Phineas himself. Sir Gregory himself quite felt that had he
prosecuted an innocent and very popular young Member of Parliament to
the death, he could never afterwards have hoped to wear his ermine in
comfort. Barrington Erle was there, of course, intending, however,
to return to the duties of his office on the following day,--and our
old friend Laurence Fitzgibbon with a newly-married wife, a lady
possessing a reputed fifty thousand pounds, by which it was hoped
that the member for Mayo might be placed steadily upon his legs
for ever. And Adelaide Palliser was there also,--the Duke's first
cousin,--on whose behalf the Duchess was anxious to be more than
ordi