a Ministry, it would be quite impossible for him to
include within it the name of the member for Tankerville. This was
the second great thunderbolt that fell,--and so did the work of
crushing our poor friend proceed.

There was a great injustice in all this; at least so Phineas
thought;--injustice, not only from the hands of Mr. Slide, who was
unjust as a matter of course, but also from those who ought to have
been his staunch friends. He had been enticed over to England almost
with a promise of office, and he was sure that he had done nothing
which deserved punishment, or even censure. He could not condescend
to complain,--nor indeed as yet could he say that there was ground
for complaint. Nothing had been done to him. Not a word had been
spoken,--except those lying words in the newspapers which he was too
proud to notice. On one matter, however, he was determined to be
firm. When Barrington Erle had absolutely insisted that he should
vote upon the Church Bill in opposition to all that he had said upon
the subject at Tankerville, he had stipulated that he should have an
opportunity in the great debate which would certainly take place of
explaining his conduct,--or, in other words, that the privilege of
making a speech should be accorded to him at a time in which very
many members would no doubt attempt to speak and would attempt in
vain. It may be imagined,--probably still is imagined by a great
many,--that no such pledge as this could be given, that the right to
speak depends simply on the Speaker's eye, and that energy at the
moment in attracting attention would alone be of account to an eager
orator. But Phineas knew the House too well to trust to such a
theory. That some preliminary assistance would be given to the
travelling of the Speaker's eye, in so important a debate, he knew
very well; and he knew also that a promise from Barrington Erle or
from Mr. Ratler would be his best security. "That will be all right,
of course," said Barrington Erle to him on the evening the day before
the debate: "We have quite counted on your speaking." There had been
a certain sullenness in the tone with which Phineas had asked his
question as though he had been labouring under a grievance, and he
felt himself rebuked by the cordiality of the reply. "I suppose we
had better fix it for Monday or Tuesday," said the other. "We hope
to get it over by Tuesday, but there is no knowing. At any rate you
shan't be thrown over." It was alm