to declare his opinion to be that he
thought the Austrian proposal ought _now_ to be accepted. He
did _not_ say so, and such an explanation is much to be
lamented. His position is very painful, and my thoughts about him
more so than they have ever been, because now many of his best and
truest friends grieve and are disappointed. God grant he may have
life, strength, and spirit to work on for his country till he has
risen again higher than ever in her trust, esteem, and love.

PEMBROKE LODGE, _July_ 13

A very anxious morning, thinking of my dear and noble husband,
doomed to suffer so much for no greater fault than having committed
himself too far without consultation with his colleagues to a
scheme which higher duties persuaded him not to abide by when he
failed to convince them. Anxiety to know his determination and the
state of his spirits made me send a note up to town early, to which
I received his answer about four, that he had written his
resignation last night and sent it to Lord Palmerston this morning.

_Lady John to Lord John Russell_

PEMBROKE LODGE, _July_ 13, 1855

We are all well, but I am too anxious to be all day without hearing
from you; besides, and chiefly, I want to cheer you up and beseech
you not to let all this depress you more than it ought. Don't
believe the _Daily News_ when it says you have committed
political suicide--that need not be a bit more true than that there
was _trickiness_ or _treachery_ in your course, which it
also asserts. Depend upon it, it is in your power and it is
therefore your duty to show that you can still be yourself. You
will rise again higher than ever if you will but think you can--if
you will but avoid for the future the rocks on which you have
sometimes split. There is plenty to do for your country, plenty
that you can do better than any other man, and _you must not
sink._ You made, I believe, a great mistake in surrendering your
own judgment to that of those who surrounded you at Vienna; but who
can dare to say you were favouring any interest of your own, or
what malice or ingenuity can pretend to find the shadow of a low or
unworthy motive? Remember Moore's lines:

"Never dream for a moment thy country can spare
Such a light from her darkening horizon as thou."

As to your immediate course, what h