been of late so often
the subject of conversation. So Madame Goesler remained at Carlton
Terrace till late in the evening, and during the whole visit there
was nothing mentioned but the murder of Mr. Bonteen and the peril of
Phineas Finn. "Some one will go and see him, I suppose," said Madame
Goesler.

"Lord Cantrip has been already,--and Mr. Monk."

"Could not I go?"

"Well, it would be rather strong."

"If we both went together?" suggested Madame Goesler. And before she
left Carlton Terrace she had almost extracted a promise from the
Duchess that they would together proceed to the prison and endeavour
to see Phineas Finn.

CHAPTER XLIX

Showing What Mrs. Bunce Said to the Policeman

"We have left Adelaide Palliser down at the Hall. We are up here
only for a couple of days to see Laura, and try to find out what had
better be done about Kennedy." This was said to Phineas Finn in his
own room in Great Marlborough Street by Lord Chiltern, on the morning
after the murder, between ten and eleven o'clock. Phineas had not
as yet heard of the death of the man with whom he had quarrelled.
Lord Chiltern had now come to him with some proposition which he as
yet did not understand, and which Lord Chiltern certainly did not
know how to explain. Looked at simply, the proposition was one for
providing Phineas Finn with an income out of the wealth belonging,
or that would belong, to the Standish family. Lady Laura's fortune
would, it was thought, soon be at her own disposal. They who acted
for her husband had assured the Earl that the yearly interest of the
money should be at her ladyship's command as soon as the law would
allow them so to plan it. Of Robert Kennedy's inability to act for
himself there was no longer any doubt whatever, and there was, they
said, no desire to embarrass the estate with so small a disputed
matter as the income derived from L40,000. There was great pride
of purse in the manner in which the information was conveyed;--but
not the less on that account was it satisfactory to the Earl. Lady
Laura's first thought about it referred to the imminent wants of
Phineas Finn. How might it be possible for her to place a portion of
her income at the command of the man she loved so that he should not
feel disgraced by receiving it from her hand? She conceived some plan
as to a loan to be made nominally by her brother,--a plan as to which
it may at once be said that it could not be made to hold water for