men," said the baron. "A public
man is responsible, and a responsible man is a slave. It is private life
that governs the world. You will find this out some day. The world talks
much of powerful sovereigns and great ministers; and if being talked
about made one powerful, they would be irresistible. But the fact is,
the more you are talked about the less powerful you are."

"But surely King Luitbrand is a powerful monarch; they say he is the
wisest of men. And the Emperor Harold, who has succeeded in everything.
And as for ministers, who is a great man if it be not Prince
Wenceslaus?"

"King Luitbrand is governed by his doctor, who is capable of governing
Europe, but has no ambition that way; the Emperor Harold is directed by
his mistress, who is a woman of a certain age with a vast sagacity,
but who also believes in sorcery; and as for Prince Wenceslaus, he is
inspired by an individual as obscure as ourselves, and who, for aught I
know, may be, at this moment, like ourselves, drinking a cup of coffee
in a hired lodging."

"What you say about public life amazes me," said Endymion musingly.

"Think over it," said the baron. "As an Englishman, you will have
difficulty in avoiding public life. But at any rate do not at present
be discontented that you are unknown. It is the first condition of real
power. When you have succeeded in life according to your views, and I
am inclined to believe you will so succeed, you will, some day, sigh
for real power, and denounce the time when you became a public man, and
belonged to any one but yourself. But our friend calls me. He has found
something startling. I will venture to say, if there be anything in it,
it has been brought about by some individual of whom you never heard."

CHAPTER XXXVII

With the assembling of parliament in November recommenced the sittings
of the Union Society, of which Endymion had for some time been a member,
and of whose meetings he was a constant and critical, though
silent, attendant. There was a debate one night on the government
of dependencies, which, although all reference to existing political
circumstances was rigidly prohibited, no doubt had its origin in
the critical state of one of our most important colonies, then much
embarrassing the metropolis. The subject was one which Endymion had
considered, and on which he had arrived at certain conclusions. The
meeting was fully attended, and the debate had been conducted with a
gravity becomin