gainst intrusion.

But, far from adopting a stratagem to which he had had recourse on
former occasions, in order to avoid those who came upon him, though at
an appointed hour, and upon business of importance, Buckingham called,
in a loud voice, from his dressing apartment, commanding his chamberlain
instantly to introduce his good friend Master Christian, and censuring
him for hesitating for an instant to do so.

"Now," thought Jerningham within himself, "if Christian knew the Duke as
well as I do, he would sooner stand the leap of a lion, like the London
'prentice bold, than venture on my master at this moment, who is even
now in a humour nearly as dangerous as the animal."

He then ushered Christian into his master's presence, taking care to
post himself within earshot of the door.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

"Speak not of niceness, when there's chance of wreck,"
The captain said, as ladies writhed their neck
To see the dying dolphin flap the deck:
"If we go down, on us these gentry sup;
We dine upon them, if we haul them up.
Wise men applaud us when we eat the eaters,
As the devil laughs when keen folks cheat the cheaters."
--THE SEA VOYAGE.

There was nothing in Duke's manner towards Christian which could have
conveyed to that latter personage, experienced as he was in the worst
possible ways of the world, that Buckingham would, at that particular
moment, rather have seen the devil than himself; unless it was that
Buckingham's reception of him, being rather extraordinarily courteous
towards so old an acquaintance, might have excited some degree of
suspicion.

Having escaped with some difficulty from the vague region of general
compliments, which bears the same relation to that of business that
Milton informs us the _Limbo Patrum_ has to the sensible and material
earth, Christian asked his Grace of Buckingham, with the same blunt
plainness with which he usually veiled a very deep and artificial
character, whether he had lately seen Chiffinch or his helpmate?

"Neither of them lately," answered Buckingham. "Have not you waited on
them yourself?--I thought you would have been more anxious about the
great scheme."

"I have called once and again," said Christian, "but I can gain no
access to the sight of that important couple. I begin to be afraid they
are paltering with me."

"Which, by the welkin and its