she was only a
Polish one, and hard up. I never had a sister; I never had any luck in
life at all. I wish I had been a woman. Women are the only people who
get on. A man works all his life, and thinks he has done a wonderful
thing if, with one leg in the grave and no hair on his head, he manages
to get a coronet; and a woman dances at a ball with some young fellow or
other, or sits next to some old fellow at dinner and pretends she
thinks him charming, and he makes her a peeress on the spot. Oh! it is
a disgusting world; it must end in revolution. Now you tell your master,
Mr. Sidney Wilton, that if he wants to strengthen the institutions of
this country, the government should establish an order of merit, and the
press ought to be represented in it. I do not speak only for myself; I
speak for my brethren. Yes, sir, I am not ashamed of my order."

And so they bade each other farewell.

"Unchanged," thought Endymion, as he crossed Piccadilly; "the vainest,
the most envious, and the most amusing of men! I wonder what he will do
in life."

Mr. Rodney was at home, had just finished his breakfast, read his
newspaper, and was about to "go into the City." His costume was
perfect. Mr. Rodney's hat seemed always a new one. Endymion was a little
embarrassed by this interview, for he had naturally a kind heart, and
being young, it was still soft. The Rodneys had been truly good to him,
and he was attached to them. Imogene had prepared Mr. Rodney for the
change in Endymion's life, and Endymion himself had every reason
to believe that in a worldly point of view the matter was entirely
insignificant to his old landlord. Still his visit this morning ratified
a permanent separation from those with whom he had lived for a long
time, and under circumstances of sympathy and family connection
which were touching. He retained Mr. Rodney's hand for a moment as he
expressed, and almost in faltering tones, his sorrow at their separation
and his hope that their friendly connection might be always cherished.

"That feeling is reciprocal," said Mr. Rodney. "If only because you were
the son of my revered and right honourable friend, you would always be
esteemed here. But you are esteemed, or, I may say beloved, for your
own sake. We shall be proud to be considered with kindness by you, and I
echo your wish that, though no longer living under the same roof, we
may yet, and even often, meet. But do not say another word about the
inconvenience yo