e edged his words in upon the royal ears. Every now and again there
was a royal joke, and then Mr. Bonteen's laughter was conspicuous. As
far as Phineas could distinguish the sounds no special amount of the
royal attention was devoted to Mr. Bonteen. That very able editor,
and one of the Academicians, and the poet, seemed to be the most
honoured, and when the Prince went,--which he did when his cigar was
finished,--Phineas observed with inward satisfaction that the royal
hand, which was given to the poet, to the editor, and to the painter,
was not extended to the President of the Board of Trade. And then,
having taken delight in this, he accused himself of meanness in
having even observed a matter so trivial. Soon after this a ruck of
men left the club, and then Phineas rose to go. As he went down the
stairs Barrington Erle followed him with Laurence Fitzgibbon, and the
three stood for a moment at the door in the street talking to each
other. Finn's way lay eastward from the club, whereas both Erle and
Fitzgibbon would go westwards towards their homes. "How well the
Prince behaves at these sort of places!" said Erle.

"Princes ought to behave well," said Phineas.

"Somebody else didn't behave very well,--eh, Finn, my boy?" said
Laurence.

"Somebody else, as you call him," replied Phineas, "is very unlike a
Prince, and never does behave well. To-night, however, he surpassed
himself."

"Don't bother your mind about it, old fellow," said Barrington.

"I tell you what it is, Erle," said Phineas. "I don't think that I'm
a vindictive man by nature, but with that man I mean to make it even
some of these days. You know as well as I do what it is he has done
to me, and you know also whether I have deserved it. Wretched reptile
that he is! He has pretty nearly been able to ruin me,--and all from
some petty feeling of jealousy."

"Finn, me boy, don't talk like that," said Laurence.

"You shouldn't show your hand," said Barrington.

"I know what you mean, and it's all very well. After your different
fashions you two have been true to me, and I don't care how much you
see of my hand. That man's insolence angers me to such an extent that
I cannot refrain from speaking out. He hasn't spirit enough to go out
with me, or I would shoot him."

"Blankenberg, eh!" said Laurence, alluding to the now notorious duel
which had once been fought in that place between Phineas and Lord
Chiltern.

"I would," continued the angry man. "Th