course
to maintain the unity of the party, had told the Duchess so much as
would, he thought, induce her to give way; but he had not repeated
the Duke's own observations, which were, Mr. Warburton thought,
hostile to the interests of the party. The Duchess had only smiled
and made a little grimace, with which the private secretary was
already well acquainted. And Sir Orlando received no invitation.

In those days Sir Orlando was unhappy and irritable, doubtful of
further success as regarded the Coalition, but quite resolved to pull
the house down about the ears of the inhabitants rather than to leave
it with gentle resignation. To him it seemed to be impossible that
the Coalition should exist without him. He too had had moments of
high-vaulting ambition, in which he had almost felt himself to be the
great man required by the country, the one ruler who could gather
together in his grasp the reins of government and drive the State
coach single-handed safe through its difficulties for the next
half-dozen years. There are men who cannot conceive of themselves
that anything should be difficult for them, and again others who
cannot bring themselves so to trust themselves as to think that they
can ever achieve anything great. Samples of each sort from time to
time rise high in political life, carried thither apparently by
Epicurean concourse of atoms; and it often happens that the more
confident samples are by no means the most capable. The concourse of
atoms had carried Sir Orlando so high that he could not but think
himself intended for something higher. But the Duke, who had really
been wafted to the very top, had always doubted himself, believing
himself capable of doing some one thing by dint of industry, but with
no further confidence in his own powers. Sir Orlando had perceived
something of his Leader's weakness, and had thought that he might
profit by it. He was not only a distinguished member of the Cabinet,
but even the recognised Leader of the House of Commons. He looked out
the facts and found that for five-and-twenty years out of the last
thirty the Leader of the House of Commons had been the Head of the
Government. He felt that he would be mean not to stretch out his hand
and take the prize destined for him. The Duke was a poor timid man
who had very little to say for himself. Then came the little episode
about the dinners. It had become very evident to all the world that
the Duchess of Omnium had cut Sir Orland