personally most anxious. She wanted to see how the iron
plate would work. It was to be a particular kind of iron plate. Then,
having watched her opportunity, she said her word, "I suppose we
shall be safe with Mr. Lopez?" When Mr. Sprugeon was about to reply,
she shook her head and went on about the iron plate. This would
be quite enough to let Mr. Sprugeon understand that she was still
anxious about the borough. Mr. Sprugeon was an intelligent man, and
possessed of discretion to a certain extent. As soon as he saw the
little frown and the shake of the head, he understood it all. He and
the Duchess had a secret together. Would not everything about the
Castle in which a morsel of iron was employed want renewing? And
would not the Duchess take care that it should all be renewed by
Sprugeon? But then he must be active, and his activity would be of no
avail unless others helped him. So he whispered a word to Sprout, and
it soon became known that the Castle interest was all alive.

But unfortunately the Duke was also on the alert. The Duke had been
very much in earnest when he made up his mind that the old custom
should be abandoned at Silverbridge and had endeavoured to impress
that determination of his upon his wife. The Duke knew more about his
property and was better acquainted with its details than his wife or
others believed. He heard that in spite of all his orders the Castle
interest was being maintained, and a word was said to him which
seemed to imply that this was his wife's doings. It was then about
the middle of February, and arrangements were in process for the
removal of the family to London. The Duke had already been up to
London for the meeting of Parliament, and had now come back to
Gatherum, purporting to return to London with his wife. Then it was
that it was hinted to him that her Grace was still anxious as to
the election,--and had manifested her anxiety. The rumour hurt him,
though he did not in the least believe it. It showed to him, as
he thought, not that his wife had been false to him,--as in truth
she had been,--but that even her name could not be kept free from
slander. And when he spoke to her on the subject, he did so rather
with the view of proving to her how necessary it was that she should
keep herself altogether aloof from such matters, than with any wish
to make further inquiry. But he elicited the whole truth. "It is so
hard to kill an old established evil," he said.

"What evil have y