he would
in no way influence their choice of a candidate in the event of
an election. But these newspapers did not say a word about Major
Pountney.

The clubs of course knew all about it, and no man at any club ever
knew more than Captain Gunner. Soon after Christmas he met his friend
the Major on the steps of the new military club, The Active Service,
which was declared by many men in the army to have left all the other
military clubs "absolutely nowhere." "Halloa, Punt!" he said, "you
seem to have made a mess of it at last down at the Duchess's."

"I wonder what you know about it."

"You had to come away pretty quick, I take it."

"Of course I came away pretty quick." So much as that the Major was
aware must be known. There were details which he could deny safely,
as it would be impossible that they should be supported by evidence,
but there were matters which must be admitted. "I'll bet a fiver that
beyond that you know nothing about it."

"The Duke ordered you off, I take it."

"After a fashion he did. There are circumstances in which a man
cannot help himself." This was diplomatical, because it left the
Captain to suppose that the Duke was the man who could not help
himself.

"Of course I was not there," said Gunner, "and I can't absolutely
know, but I suppose you had been interfering with the Duchess about
Silverbridge. Glencora will bear a great deal,--but since she has
taken up politics, by George, you had better not touch her there." At
last it came to be believed that the Major had been turned out by the
order of the Duchess, because he had ventured to put himself forward
as an opponent to Ferdinand Lopez, and the Major felt himself really
grateful to his friend the Captain for this arrangement of the
story. And there came at last to be mixed up with the story some
half-understood innuendo that the Major's jealousy against Lopez
had been of a double nature,--in reference both to the Duchess and
the borough,--so that he escaped from much of that disgrace which
naturally attaches itself to a man who has been kicked out of another
man's house. There was a mystery;--and when there is a mystery a man
should never be condemned. Where there is a woman in the case a man
cannot be expected to tell the truth. As for calling out or in any
way punishing the Prime Minister, that of course was out of the
question. And so it went on till at last the Major was almost proud
of what he had done, and talked about it wi