this, felt that he was a man upon
whom a few words from her might have an effect. But even Lady
Glencora might hesitate to tell a gentleman that he ought to marry
a lady, when the gentleman had already declared his intention of not
marrying, and had attempted to justify his decision almost publicly
by a reference to the lady's conduct. Lady Glencora almost felt that
she had undertaken too much as she turned over in her mind the means
she had of performing her promise to Lady Eustace.

The five-farthing bill had been laid upon the table on a Tuesday, and
was to be read the first time on the following Monday week. On the
Wednesday Lady Glencora had written to the duke, and had called in
Hertford Street. On the following Sunday she was at Matching, looking
after the duke;--but she returned to London on the Tuesday, and on
the Wednesday there was a little dinner at Mr. Palliser's house,
given avowedly with the object of further friendly discussion
respecting the new Palliser penny. The prime minister was to be
there, and Mr. Bonteen, and Barrington Erle, and those special
members of the Government who would be available for giving special
help to the financial Hercules of the day. A question, perhaps of no
great practical importance, had occurred to Mr. Palliser,--but one
which, if overlooked, might be fatal to the ultimate success of the
measure. There is so much in a name,--and then an ounce of ridicule
is often more potent than a hundredweight of argument. By what
denomination should the fifth part of a penny be hereafter known?
Some one had, ill-naturedly, whispered to Mr. Palliser that a
farthing meant a fourth, and at once there arose a new trouble, which
for a time bore very heavily on him. Should he boldly disregard the
original meaning of the useful old word; or should he venture on the
dangers of new nomenclature? October, as he said to himself, is still
the tenth month of the year, November the eleventh, and so on, though
by these names they are so plainly called the eighth and ninth. All
France tried to rid itself of this absurdity, and failed. Should he
stick by the farthing; or should he call it a fifthing, a quint, or
a semitenth? "There's the 'Fortnightly Review' comes out but once a
month," he said to his friend Mr. Bonteen, "and I'm told that it does
very well." Mr. Bonteen, who was a rational man, thought the "Review"
would do better if it were called by a more rational name, and was
very much in favour