d recruit. Of course Mr. Barking is
perfectly secure of his seat. I am in no real anxiety, I am thankful to
say. He does not speak much in the House. But I always feel speaking is
quite a minor matter, don't you?"

"Doubtless," Julius said, the remark appearing to be delivered at him
in particular.

"The great point is that your party should be able to depend absolutely
upon your loyalty. Being rather behind the scenes, as I can't help
being, you know, I do feel that more and more. And the party depends
absolutely upon Mr. Barking. He has so much moral stamina, you know.
That is what they all feel. He is ready at any moment to sacrifice his
private convictions to party interests. And so few members of any real
position are willing to do that. And so, of course, the leaders do
depend on him. All the members of the Government consult him in
private."

"That is very flattering," Richard remarked.--Still Helen tarried,
while again, glancing in the direction of the door, he encountered Lady
Constance's mild, ruminant stare.

"Can one pronounce anything flattering when one sees it to be so
completely deserved?" Ludovic Quayle inquired in his most urbane
manner. "Prompt and perpetual sacrifice of private conviction to party
interest, for example--how can such devotion receive recognition beyond
its deserts?"

"Do have some more partridge, Lady Louisa," Richard put in hastily.

"In any case such recognition is very satisfactory.--No more, thank
you, Sir Richard," the lady replied, not without a touch of acerbity.
Ludovic was very clever no doubt; but his comments often struck her as
being in equivocal taste. He gave a turn to your words you did not
expect and so broke the thread of your conversation in a rather
exasperating fashion. "Very satisfactory," she repeated. "And, of
course, the constituency is fully informed of the attitude of the
Government towards Mr. Barking, so that serious opposition is out of
the question."

"Oh! of course," Richard echoed.

"Still I feel it a duty to canvass. One can point out many things to
the constituents in their own homes which might not come quite so well,
don't you know, from the platform. And of course they enjoy seeing one
so much."

"Of course, it makes a great change for them," Richard echoed
dutifully.

"Exactly, and so on their account, quite putting aside the chance of
securing a stray vote here or there, I feel it a duty not to spare
myself, but to go through with