discharged. It was true that Mrs. Bonteen had borrowed a little money
from Lady Eustace, but of this her husband knew nothing till the Jew
in his wrath made the thing public. After all it had only been a
poor L25, and the money had been repaid before Mr. Bonteen took his
journey to Prague. Mr. Bonteen was, however, unable to deny that the
cost of that journey was defrayed by Lady Eustace, and it was thought
mean in a man aspiring to be Chancellor of the Exchequer to have his
travelling expenses paid for him by a lady. Many, however, were of
opinion that Mr. Bonteen had been almost romantic in his friendship,
and that the bright eyes of Lady Eustace had produced upon this
dragon of business the wonderful effect that was noticed. Be that as
it may, now, in the terrible distress of his mind at the political
aspect of the times, he had become almost sick of Lady Eustace, and
would gladly have sent her away from his house had he known how to do
so without incurring censure.

CHAPTER XLVI

The Quarrel

On that Wednesday evening Phineas Finn was at The Universe. He dined
at the house of Madame Goesler, and went from thence to the club in
better spirits than he had known for some weeks past. The Duke and
Duchess had been at Madame Goesler's, and Lord and Lady Chiltern,
who were now up in town, with Barrington Erle, and,--as it had
happened,--old Mr. Maule. The dinner had been very pleasant, and two
or three words had been spoken which had tended to raise the heart of
our hero. In the first place Barrington Erle had expressed a regret
that Phineas was not at his old post at the Colonies, and the young
Duke had re-echoed it. Phineas thought that the manner of his old
friend Erle was more cordial to him than it had been lately, and
even that comforted him. Then it was a delight to him to meet the
Chilterns, who were always gracious to him. But perhaps his greatest
pleasure came from the reception which was accorded by his hostess to
Mr. Maule, which was of a nature not easy to describe. It had become
evident to Phineas that Mr. Maule was constant in his attentions to
Madame Goesler; and, though he had no purpose of his own in reference
to the lady,--though he was aware that former circumstances,
circumstances of that previous life to which he was accustomed to
look back as to another existence, made it impossible that he should
have any such purpose,--still he viewed Mr. Maule with dislike. He
had once ventured to as