few minutes found himself in
the presence of the great man.

The great man received him with an excellent courtesy. It is the
special business of Prime Ministers to be civil in detail, though
roughness, and perhaps almost rudeness in the gross, becomes not
unfrequently a necessity of their position. To a proposed incoming
subordinate a Prime Minister is, of course, very civil, and to a
retreating subordinate he is generally more so,--unless the retreat
be made under unfavourable circumstances. And to give good things
is always pleasant, unless there be a suspicion that the good thing
will be thought to be not good enough. No such suspicion as that now
crossed the mind of Mr. Gresham. He had been pressed very much by
various colleagues to admit this young man into the Paradise of his
government, and had been pressed very much also to exclude him; and
this had been continued till he had come to dislike the name of the
young man. He did believe that the young man had behaved badly to Mr.
Robert Kennedy, and he knew that the young man on one occasion had
taken to kicking in harness, and running a course of his own. He had
decided against the young man,--very much no doubt at the instance of
Mr. Bonteen,--and he believed that in so doing he closed the Gates of
Paradise against a Peri most anxious to enter it. He now stood with
the key in his hand and the gate open,--and the seat to be allotted
to the re-accepted one was that which he believed the Peri would
most gratefully fill. He began by making a little speech about Mr.
Bonteen. That was almost unavoidable. And he praised in glowing words
the attitude which Phineas had maintained during the trial. He had
been delighted with the re-election at Tankerville, and thought
that the borough had done itself much honour. Then came forth his
proposition. Lord Fawn had retired, absolutely broken down by
repeated examinations respecting the man in the grey coat, and the
office which Phineas had before held with so much advantage to the
public, and comfort to his immediate chief, Lord Cantrip, was there
for his acceptance. Mr. Gresham went on to express an ardent hope
that he might have the benefit of Mr. Finn's services. It was quite
manifest from his manner that he did not in the least doubt the
nature of the reply which he would receive.

Phineas had come primed with his answer,--so ready with it that it
did not even seem to be the result of any hesitation at the moment.
"I hope