decessor. Ratler, and Erle,
and Fitzgibbon, and others had laughed in their sleeves at the
expression, understood by them, of Mr. Gresham's doubt as to the
qualifications of his new assistant, and Sir Orlando Drought,
in continuing his speech, remarked that the warmth of the right
honourable gentleman had been so completely expended in abusing his
enemies that he had had none left for the defence of his friend. But
to Phineas it seemed that this Bonteen, who had so grievously injured
him, and whom he so thoroughly despised, was carrying off all the
glories of the fight. A certain amount of consolation was, however,
afforded to him. Between one and two o'clock he was told by
Mr. Ratler that he might enjoy the privilege of adjourning the
debate,--by which would accrue to him the right of commencing on the
morrow,--and this he did at a few minutes before three.

CHAPTER XXXVI

Seventy-Two

On the next morning Phineas, with his speech before him, was obliged
for a while to forget, or at least to postpone, Mr. Bonteen and his
injuries. He could not now go to Lord Cantrip, as the hours were
too precious to him, and, as he felt, too short. Though he had been
thinking what he would say ever since the debate had become imminent,
and knew accurately the line which he would take, he had not as yet
prepared a word of his speech. But he had resolved that he would
not prepare a word otherwise than he might do by arranging certain
phrases in his memory. There should be nothing written; he had tried
that before in old days, and had broken down with the effort. He
would load himself with no burden of words in itself so heavy that
the carrying of it would incapacitate him for any other effort.

After a late breakfast he walked out far away, into the Regent's
Park, and there, wandering among the uninteresting paths, he devised
triumphs of oratory for himself. Let him resolve as he would to
forget Mr. Bonteen, and that charge of having been untrue to his
companions, he could not restrain himself from efforts to fit the
matter after some fashion into his speech. Dim ideas of a definition
of political honesty crossed his brain, bringing with him, however, a
conviction that his thought must be much more clearly worked out than
it could be on that day before he might venture to give it birth in
the House of Commons. He knew that he had been honest two years ago
in separating himself from his colleagues. He knew that he would
be h