our since, walking round the gardens."

"And how is he? Come;--tell me something about him."

"I never knew him to be more pleasant. He would give no promise about
Saulsby, but he did not say that he would not go."

"Does he know that I am here?"

"Yes;--I told him so. I told him how much pleasure I should have in
seeing you two together,--as friends."

"And what did he say?"

"He laughed, and said you were the best fellow in the world. You see
I am obliged to be explicit."

"But why did he laugh?" Phineas asked.

"He did not tell me, but I suppose it was because he was thinking of
a little trip he once took to Belgium, and he perceived that I knew
all about it."

"I wonder who told you. But never mind. I do not mean to ask any
questions. As I do not like that our first meeting should be before
all the people in the drawing-room, I will go to him in his own
room."

"Do, do;--that will be so nice of you."

Phineas sent his card up by a servant, and in a few minutes was
standing with his hand on the lock of Lord Chiltern's door. The last
time he had seen this man, they had met with pistols in their hands
to shoot at each other, and Lord Chiltern had in truth done his very
best to shoot his opponent. The cause of quarrel was the same between
them as ever. Phineas had not given up Violet, and had no intention
of giving her up. And he had received no intimation whatever from his
rival that there was to be a truce between them. Phineas had indeed
written in friendship to Lord Chiltern, but he had received no
answer;--and nothing of certainty was to be gathered from the report
which Violet had just made. It might well be that Lord Chiltern
would turn upon him now in his wrath, and that there would be some
scene which in a strange house would be obviously objectionable.
Nevertheless he had resolved that even that would be better than a
chance encounter among strangers in a drawing-room. So the door was
opened and the two men met.

"Well, old fellow," said Lord Chiltern, laughing. Then all doubt was
over, and in a moment Phineas was shaking his former,--and present
friend, warmly by the hand. "So we've come to be an Under-Secretary
have we?--and all that kind of thing."

"I had to get into harness,--when the harness offered itself," said
Phineas.

"I suppose so. It's a deuce of a bore, isn't it?"

"I always liked work, you know."

"I thought you liked hunting better. You used to ride as if you did.
There's