do not know the man."

"What else can be his object?" said Lady St Julians. "People get into
Parliament to get on; their aims are indefinite. If they have indulged
in hallucinations about place before they enter the House, they are soon
freed from such distempered fancies; they find they have no more talent
than other people, and if they had, they learn that power, patronage and
pay are reserved for us and our friends. Well then like practical men,
they look to some result, and they get it. They are asked out to dinner
more than they would be; they move rigmarole resolutions at nonsensical
public meetings; and they get invited with their women to assemblies at
their leader's where they see stars and blue ribbons, and above all, us,
whom they little think in appearing on such occasions, make the greatest
conceivable sacrifice. Well then, of course such people are entirely in
one's power, if one only had time and inclination to notice them. You
can do anything with them. Ask them to a ball, and they will give you
their votes; invite them to dinner and if necessary they will rescind
them; but cultivate them, remember their wives at assemblies and call
their daughters, if possible, by their right names; and they will
not only change their principles or desert their party for you; but
subscribe their fortunes if necessary and lay down their lives in your
service."

"You paint them to the life, my dear Lady St Julians," said Lady
Deloraine laughing; "but with such knowledge and such powers, why did
you not save our boroughs?"

"We had lost our heads, then, I must confess," said Lady St Julians.
"What with the dear King and the dear Duke, we really had brought
ourselves to believe that we lived in the days of Versailles or nearly;
and I must admit I think we had become a little too exclusive. Out of
the cottage circle, there was really no world, and after all we were
lost not by insulting the people but by snubbing the aristocracy."

The servant announced Lady Firebrace. "Oh! my dear Lady Deloraine. Oh!
my dear Lady St Julians!" and she shook her head.

"You have no news, I suppose," said Lady St Julians.

"Only about that dreadful Mr Trenchard; you know the reason why he
ratted?"

"No, indeed," said Lady St Julians with a sigh.

"An invitation to Lansdowne House, for himself and his wife!"

"Oh! he is married then?"

"Yes; she is at the bottom of it all. Terms regularly settled
beforehand. I have a note here--all