ehampton worked at the extreme end
of it. The candles were nearly burnt out. As she approached him, she
perceived that he was leaning back in his chair. When she reached him,
she observed he was awake, but he did not seem to recognise her. A
dreadful feeling came over her. She took his hand. It was quite cold.
Her intellect for an instant seemed to desert her. She looked round her
with an air void almost of intelligence, and then rushing to the bell
she continued ringing it till some of the household appeared. A medical
man was near at hand, and in a few minutes arrived, but it was a
bootless visit. All was over, and all had been over, he said, "for some
time."

CHAPTER LXXXV

"Well, you have made up your government?" asked Lady Montfort of the
prime minister as he entered her boudoir. He shook his head.

"Have you seen her?" he inquired.

"No, not yet; I suppose she will see me as soon as any one."

"I am told she is utterly overwhelmed."

"She was devoted to him; it was the happiest union I ever knew; but
Lady Roehampton is not the woman to be utterly overwhelmed. She has too
imperial a spirit for that."

"It is a great misfortune," said the prime minister. "We have not been
lucky since we took the reins."

"Well, there is no use in deploring. There is nobody else to take the
reins, so you may defy misfortunes. The question now is, what are you
going to do?"

"Well, there seems to me only one thing to do. We must put Rawchester
there."

"Rawchester!" exclaimed Lady Montfort, "what, 'Niminy-Piminy'?"

"Well, he is conciliatory," said the premier, "and if you are not very
clever, you should be conciliatory."

"He never knows his own mind for a week together."

"We will take care of his mind," said the prime minister, "but he has
travelled a good deal, and knows the public men."

"Yes," said Lady Montfort, "and the public men, I fear, know him."

"Then he can make a good House of Lords' speech, and we have a
first-rate man in the Commons; so it will do."

"I do not think your first-rate man in the House of Commons will
remain," said Lady Montfort drily.

"You do not mean that?" said the prime minister, evidently alarmed.

"His health is delicate," said Lady Montfort; "had it not been for
his devotion to Lord Roehampton, I know he thought of travelling for a
couple of years."

"Ferrars' health delicate?" said the premier; "I thought he was the
picture of health and youthful vigour. Health is o