of fortune;--is he not?"

"I suppose so. Of course he is, because he lives. He never earns
anything. His wife had money."

"My dear Finn, that makes all the difference. When a man has means
of his own he can please himself. Do you marry a wife with money,
and then you may kick up your heels, and do as you like about the
Colonial Office. When a man hasn't money, of course he must fit
himself to the circumstances of a profession."

"Though his profession may require him to be dishonest."

"I did not say that."

"But I say it, my dear Low. A man who is ready to vote black white
because somebody tells him, is dishonest. Never mind, old fellow. I
shall pull through, I daresay. Don't go and tell your wife all this,
or she'll be harder upon me than ever when she sees me." After that
Mr. Low began to think that his wife's judgment in this matter had
been better than his own.

Robson could do as he liked because he had married a woman with
money. Phineas told himself that that game was also open to him. He,
too, might marry money. Violet Effingham had money;--quite enough to
make him independent were he married to her. And Madame Goesler had
money;--plenty of money. And an idea had begun to creep upon him that
Madame Goesler would take him were he to offer himself. But he would
sooner go back to the Bar as the lowest pupil, sooner clean boots for
barristers,--so he told himself,--than marry a woman simply because
she had money, than marry any other woman as long as there was a
chance that Violet might be won. But it was very desirable that he
should know whether Violet might be won or not. It was now July, and
everybody would be gone in another month. Before August would be over
he was to start for Ireland with Mr. Monk, and he knew that words
would be spoken in Ireland which might make it indispensable for
him to be, at any rate, able to throw up his office. In these days
he became more anxious than he used to be about Miss Effingham's
fortune.

He had never spoken as yet to Lord Brentford since the day on which
the Earl had quarrelled with him, nor had he ever been at the house
in Portman Square. Lady Laura he met occasionally, and had always
spoken to her. She was gracious to him, but there had been no renewal
of their intimacy. Rumours had reached him that things were going
badly with her and her husband; but when men repeated such rumours
in his presence, he said little or nothing on the subject. It was
not for h