e domestic virtue and secure forgiveness for an erring wife.
You've no notion, Finn, in your mind of what will soon be the hextent
of the duties, privileges, and hinfluences of the daily press;--the
daily morning press, that is; for I look on those little evening
scraps as just so much paper and ink wasted. You won't interfere,
then?"

"Yes, I will;--if you'll give me time. Where is Mr. Kennedy?"

"What has that to do with it? Do you write over to Lady Laura and the
old lord and tell them that if she'll undertake to be at Loughlinter
within a month this shall be suppressed. Will you do that?"

"Let me first see Mr. Kennedy."

Mr. Slide thought a while over that matter. "Well," said he at last,
"you can see Kennedy if you will. He came up to town four or five
days ago, and he's staying at an hotel in Judd Street."

"An hotel in Judd Street?"

"Yes;--Macpherson's in Judd Street. I suppose he likes to keep among
the Scotch. I don't think he ever goes out of the house, and he's
waiting in London till this thing is published."

"I will go and see him," said Phineas.

"I shouldn't wonder if he murdered you;--but that's between you and
him."

"Just so."

"And I shall hear from you?"

"Yes," said Phineas, hesitating as he made the promise. "Yes, you
shall hear from me."

"We've got our duty to do, and we mean to do it. If we see that we
can induce the lady to go back to her husband, we shall habstain from
publishing, and virtue will be its own reward. I needn't tell you
that such a letter as that would sell a great many copies, Finn."
Then, at last, Mr. Slide arose and departed.

CHAPTER XXIII

Macpherson's Hotel

Phineas, when he was left alone, found himself greatly at a loss as
to what he had better do. He had pledged himself to see Mr. Kennedy,
and was not much afraid of encountering personal violence at the
hands of that gentleman. But he could think of nothing which he could
with advantage say to Mr. Kennedy. He knew that Lady Laura would not
return to her husband. Much as she dreaded such exposure as was now
threatened, she would not return to Loughlinter to avoid even that.
He could not hold out any such hope to Mr. Kennedy;--and without
doing so how could he stop the publication? He thought of getting
an injunction from the Vice-Chancellor;--but it was now Sunday, and
he had understood that the publication would appear on the morrow,
unless stopped by some note from himself. He thought of f