he time at which we recommence
our tale he did come out with a very great liberal speech, in which,
as an independent member, he vehemently eulogized the daring policy
of that great man who, as he said, was brave enough, and wise enough,
and good enough to save his country at the expense of his party.
Whether there were not men who could have saved their country without
betraying their friends--who would have done so had not Sir Robert
been ready with his apostacy; who in fact did so by forcing Sir
Robert to his apostacy--as to that, Mr. Harcourt then said nothing.
What might not be expected from the hands of a man so eulogized? of a
man who was thus able to keep the votes of the Tories and carry the
measures of the Liberals? of a man of whom it might now be predicated
that his political power would end only with his political life? We
should be going on too fast were we to declare in how few months
after this triumph that great political chieftain was driven from the
Treasury bench.

Mr. Harcourt's name was now mentioned in all clubs and all
dining-rooms. He was an acute and successful lawyer, an eloquent
debater, and a young man. The world was at his feet, and Mr. Die was
very proud of him. Mr. Die was proud of him, and proud also of his
own advice. He said nothing about it even to Harcourt himself, for
to Mr. Die had been given the gift of reticence; but his old eye
twinkled as his wisdom was confessed by the youth at his feet. "In
politics one should always look forward," he said, as he held up to
the light the glass of old port which he was about to sip; "in real
life it is better to look back,--if one has anything to look back
at." Mr. Die had something to look back at. He had sixty thousand
pounds in the funds.

And now we must say a word of Mr. Harcourt, with reference to the
other persons of our story. He was still very intimate with Bertram,
but he hardly regarded him in the same light as he had done two
years before. Bertram had not hitherto justified the expectation of
his friends. This must be explained more at length in the next two
chapters; but the effect on Harcourt had been that he no longer
looked up with reverence to his friend's undoubted talents. He had
a lower opinion of him than formerly. Indeed, he himself had risen
so quickly that he had left Bertram immeasurably below him, and the
difference in their pursuits naturally brought them together less
frequently than heretofore.

But if Harcour