ims
upon me who have been my enemies through life, who have injured me
to the utmost of their power, who have never ceased striving to make
me wretched. Yes, these very people make claims on me. Here--here is
a clergyman asking for this living because he is a friend of Lord
Stanmore--because he went up the Pyramids with him, and encouraged
him in all manner of stupidity. I'd sooner--well, never mind. I
shan't trouble myself to answer this letter." Now, as it happened
that Lord Stanmore was a promising young nobleman, already much
thought of in Parliament, and as the clergyman alluded to was known
by Arthur to be a gentleman very highly reputed, he considered it
best to hold his tongue.

"No one has a claim on me; I allow no one to have such claims. What I
want I pay for, and am indebted for nothing. But I must put some one
into this living."

"Yes; your lordship must of course nominate some one." Wilkinson said
so much, as the marquis had stopped, expecting an answer.

"I can only say this: if the clergymen in Hampshire do their duty
as badly as they do here, the parish would be better off without a
parson."

"I think my father did his duty well."

"Perhaps so. He had very little to do; and as it never suited me to
reside there, there was never any one to look after him. However,
I make no complaint. Here they are intolerable--intolerable,
self-sufficient, impertinent upstarts, full of crotchets of their
own; and the bishop is a weak, timid fool; as for me, I never go
inside a church. I can't; I should be insulted if I did. It has
however gone so far now that I shall take permission to bring the
matter before the House of Lords."

What could Wilkinson say? Nothing. So he sat still and tried to drive
the cold out of his toes by pressing them against the floor.

"Your father certainly ought to have made some better provision,"
continued Lord Stapledean. "But he has not done so; and it seems to
me, that unless something is arranged, your mother and her children
will starve. Now, you are a clergyman?"

"Yes, I am in orders."

"And can hold a living? You distinctly understand that your mother
has no claim on me."

"Surely none has been put forward, Lord Stapledean?"

"I don't say it has; but you may perhaps fancy by what I say that I
myself admit that there is a claim. Mind; I do no such thing. Not in
the least."

"I quite understand what you mean."

"It is well that you should. Under these circumstances,