mind of Locock! Or else money must be borrowed! Now the management
of the Palliser property had always been conducted on principles
antagonistic to borrowing. "But his Grace has never spent his
income," said the Duchess. That was true. But the money, as it showed
a tendency to heap itself up, had been used for the purchase of other
bits of property, or for the amelioration of the estates generally.
"You don't mean to say that we can't get money if we want it!" Locock
was profuse in his assurances that any amount of money could be
obtained,--only that something must be done. "Then let something
be done," said the Duchess, going on with her general plans. "Many
people are rich," said the Duchess afterwards to her friend, "and
some people are very rich indeed; but nobody seems to be rich enough
to have ready money to do just what he wishes. It all goes into a
grand sum total, which is never to be touched without a feeling of
sacrifice. I suppose you have always enough for everything." It was
well known that the present Mrs. Finn, as Madame Goesler, had been a
wealthy woman.

"Indeed, no;--very far from that. I haven't a shilling."

"What has happened?" asked the Duchess, pretending to be frightened.

"You forget that I've got a husband of my own, and that he has to be
consulted."

"That must be nonsense. But don't you think women are fools to marry
when they've got anything of their own, and could be their own
mistresses? I couldn't have been. I was made to marry before I was
old enough to assert myself."

"And how well they did for you!"

"Pas si mal.--He's Prime Minister, which is a great thing, and I
begin to find myself filled to the full with political ambition.
I feel myself to be a Lady Macbeth, prepared for the murder of
any Duncan or any Daubeny who may stand in my lord's way. In
the meantime, like Lady Macbeth herself, we must attend to the
banqueting. Her lord appeared and misbehaved himself; my lord won't
show himself at all,--which I think is worse."

Our old friend Phineas Finn, who had now reached a higher place in
politics than even his political dreams had assigned to him, though
he was a Member of Parliament, was much away from London in these
days. New brooms sweep clean; and official new brooms, I think, sweep
cleaner than any other. Who has not watched at the commencement of
a Ministry some Secretary, some Lord, or some Commissioner, who
intends by fresh Herculean labours to cleanse the Auge