, and where would
he be?'

A very faint colour tinged her cheek as she listened, but did not speak.

'That's the real way to put it,' continued he, more warmly. 'Say to Atlee,
"You shall enter public life without any pressing need to take office for
a livelihood; you shall have friends able to push you with one party, and
relations and connections with the Opposition, to save you from unnecessary
cavil or question; you shall be well introduced socially, and have a seat
in the House before--" What's his age? five-and-twenty?'

'I should say about three-and-twenty, my lord; but it is a mere guess.'

'Three-and-twenty is he? I suspect you are right--he can't be more. But
what a deal the fellow has crammed for that time--plenty of rubbish, no
doubt: old dramatists and such like; but he is well up in his treaties;
and there's not a speaker of eminence in the House that he cannot make
contradict himself out of Hansard.'

'Has he any fortune?' sighed she, so lazily that it scarcely sounded as a
question.

'I suppose not.'

'Nor any family?'

'Brothers and sisters he may have--indeed, he is sure to have; but if you
mean connections--belonging to persons of admitted station--of course he
has not. The name alone might show it.'

Another little sigh, fainter than before, followed, and all was still.

'Five years hence, if even so much, the plebeian name and the unknown stock
will be in his favour; but we have to wade through a few dreary measures
before that. I wish he was in the House--he ought to be in the House.'

'Is there a vacancy?' said she lazily.

'Two. There is Cradford, and there is that Scotch place--the
something-Burg, which, of course, one of their own people will insist on.'

'Couldn't he have Cradford?' asked she, with a very slight animation.

'He might--at least if Brand knew him, he'd see he was the man they wanted.
I almost think I'll write a line to Brand, and send him some extracts of
the last letter. I will--here goes.'

'If you'll tell me--'

'DEAR B.,--Read the inclosed, and say have you anybody better than the
writer for your ancient borough of Cradford? The fellow can talk, and I am
sure he can speak as well as he writes. He is well up in all Irish press
iniquities. Better than all, he has neither prejudices nor principles, nor,
as I believe, a five-pound note in the world. He is now in Greece, but I'll
have him over by telegraph if you give me encouragement.

'Tell Tycross at F. O. t