on a soft deep
carpet of velvet-pile he stuck his heels into the ground and felt very
determined.

And then he found that he must attend to something else, for the Prime
Minister was speaking, and now at last was speaking on a very important
matter.

IV

"Your Majesty," said the Prime Minister, "the Bishops are blocking all
our bills; the business of the country is at a standstill."

"Blocking?" queried the King; for he did know a little of contemporary
history at all events.

"Amending," corrected the Minister. "Amending on lines which we cannot
possibly accept."

"Some of them seemed to me quite excellent amendments," said the King.
"But, of course, I don't know."

"They express, sir, no doubt, a point of view--quite an estimable point
of view, if it were not a question of politics: they reflect, that is to
say, the mind of the ecclesiastical side of the Spiritual and Judicial
Chamber. Your Majesty's House of Laity sees things differently: I am
bound, therefore, to submit to your Majesty certain important proposals
for the relief of the impasse at which we have now arrived. As no doubt,
sir, you are aware, we have the Judges, the Juridical half of the
Chamber, for the most part with us, since for the last few years their
appointment has been entirely in our hands. But the Bishops, with the
exception of one or two, are obdurate and immovable. We select the most
liberal Churchmen we can find: but it is no use; each new Bishop,
adopted by Dean and Chapter, becomes when once seated in the Upper
Chamber, merely a reflection of those who have gone before him: the
Juridical minority is swamped, the Spiritual element remains supreme,
and we have no chance of obtaining a majority."

"It is only because you will try to do things too fast!" said the King;
but the Prime Minister continued--

"And now, sir, our one opportunity has come. The Bill for dividing the
dioceses and doubling the number of the Bishoprics has just passed into
law. I flatter myself that when the Prelates assented to that Bill they
did not realize how its powers might be directed. It is the proposal of
your Majesty's advisers to nominate to those Bishoprics only Free
Churchmen, men whose political views coincide with our own."

"Free Churchmen!" cried the King, startled; "but they are outside the
Establishment altogether."

"Merely on a point of Church discipline," answered the Prime Minister.
"They are ministers properly ordained. When they