onteen. She has had too much of him at
Matching. And as for his wife, she is quite as unwilling to be kissed
by her as you can be. Her Grace is determined to fight your battle
for you."

"I want her to do nothing of the kind, Madame Goesler."

"You will know nothing about it. We have put our heads to work, and
Mr. Palliser,--that is, the new Duke,--is to be made to tell Mr.
Gresham that you are to have a place. It is no good you being angry,
for the thing is done. If you have enemies behind your back, you must
have friends behind your back also. Lady Cantrip is to do the same
thing."

"For Heaven's sake, not."

"It's all arranged. You'll be called the ladies' pet, but you mustn't
mind that. Lady Laura will be here before it's arranged, and she will
get hold of Mr. Erle."

"You are laughing at me, I know."

"Let them laugh that win. We thought of besieging Lord Fawn through
Lady Chiltern, but we are not sure that anybody cares for Lord
Fawn. The man we specially want now is the other Duke. We're afraid
of attacking him through the Duchess because we think that he is
inhumanly indifferent to anything that his wife says to him."

"If that kind of thing is done I shall not accept place even if it
is offered me."

"Why not? Are you going to let a man like Mr. Bonteen bowl you over?
Did you ever know Lady Glen fail in anything that she attempted? She
is preparing a secret with the express object of making Mr. Ratler
her confidant. Lord Mount Thistle is her slave, but then I fear Lord
Mount Thistle is not of much use. She'll do anything and
everything,--except flatter Mr. Bonteen."

"Heaven forbid that anybody should do that for my sake."

"The truth is that he made himself so disagreeable at Matching that
Lady Glen is broken-hearted at finding that he is to seem to owe his
promotion to her husband's favour. Now you know all about it."

"You have been very wrong to tell me."

"Perhaps I have, Mr. Finn. But I thought it better that you should
know that you have friends at work for you. We believe,--or rather,
the Duchess believes,--that falsehoods have been used which are as
disparaging to Lady Laura Kennedy as they are injurious to you, and
she is determined to put it right. Some one has told Mr. Gresham that
you have been the means of breaking the hearts both of Lord Brentford
and Mr. Kennedy,--two members of the late Cabinet,--and he must be
made to understand that this is untrue. If only for Lady Laura's sak