nchest
allies in the Commons was a candidate for a peerage; another suddenly
remembered that he was second cousin to the premier. Some laughed at
the idea of a puppet premier in Lord Saxingham; others insinuated to
Vargrave that he himself was not precisely of that standing in the
country which would command respect to a new party, of which, if not the
head, he would be the mouthpiece. For themselves they knew, admired, and
trusted him; but those d-----d country gentlemen--and the dull public!

Alarmed, wearied, and disgusted, the schemer saw himself reduced to
submission, for the present at least; and more than ever he felt the
necessity of Evelyn's fortune to fall back upon, if the chance of
the cards should rob him of his salary. He was glad to escape for a
breathing-while from the vexations and harassments that beset him,
and looked forward with the eager interest of a sanguine and elastic
mind--always escaping from one scheme to another--to his excursion into
B-----shire.

At the villa of Mr. Douce, Lord Vargrave met a young nobleman who had
just succeeded to a property not only large and unencumbered, but of a
nature to give him importance in the eyes of politicians. Situated in
a very small county, the estates of Lord Doltimore secured to his
nomination at least one of the representatives, while a little village
at the back of his pleasure-grounds constituted a borough, and returned
two members to parliament. Lord Doltimore, just returned from the
Continent, had not even taken his seat in the Lords; and though his
family connections, such as they were--and they were not very high, and
by no means in the fashion--were ministerial, his own opinions were as
yet unrevealed.

To this young nobleman Lord Vargrave was singularly attentive. He
was well formed to attract men younger than himself, and he eminently
succeeded in his designs upon Lord Doltimore's affection.

His lordship was a small, pale man, with a very limited share of
understanding, supercilious in manner, elaborate in dress, not
ill-natured _au fond_, and with much of the English gentleman in his
disposition,--that is, he was honourable in his ideas and actions,
whenever his natural dulness and neglected education enabled him clearly
to perceive (through the midst of prejudices, the delusions of others,
and the false lights of the dissipated society in which he had lived)
what was right and what wrong. But his leading characteristics were
vanity and