ng,
at any rate, nothing was done. When Mr. Daubeny was gone, Mr. Gresham
rose and said that in the present temper of the House he thought
it best to postpone any statement from himself. He had received
Her Majesty's commands only as he had entered that House, and in
obedience to those commands, he should wait upon Her Majesty early
to-morrow. He hoped to be able to inform the House at the afternoon
sitting, what was the nature of the commands with which Her Majesty
might honour him.

"What do you think of that?" Phineas asked Mr. Monk as they left the
House together.

"I think that our Chatham of to-day is but a very poor copy of him
who misbehaved a century ago."

"Does not the whole thing distress you?"

"Not particularly. I have always felt that there has been a mistake
about Mr. Daubeny. By many he has been accounted as a statesman,
whereas to me he has always been a political Cagliostro. Now a
conjuror is I think a very pleasant fellow to have among us, if we
know that he is a conjuror;--but a conjuror who is believed to do his
tricks without sleight of hand is a dangerous man. It is essential
that such a one should be found out and known to be a conjuror,--and
I hope that such knowledge may have been communicated to some men
this afternoon."

"He was very great," said Ratler to Bonteen. "Did you not think so?"

"Yes, I did,--very powerful indeed. But the party is broken up to
atoms."

"Atoms soon come together again in politics," said Ratler. "They
can't do without him. They haven't got anybody else. I wonder what he
did when he got home."

"Had some gruel and went to bed," said Bonteen. "They say these
scenes in the House never disturb him at home." From which
conversations it may be inferred that Mr. Monk and Messrs. Ratler and
Bonteen did not agree in their ideas respecting political conjurors.

CHAPTER XL

The Prime Minister is Hard Pressed

It can never be a very easy thing to form a Ministry. The one chosen
chief is readily selected. Circumstances, indeed, have probably left
no choice in the matter. Every man in the country who has at all
turned his thoughts that way knows very well who will be the next
Prime Minister when it comes to pass that a change is imminent.
In these days the occupant of the throne can have no difficulty.
Mr. Gresham recommends Her Majesty to send for Mr. Daubeny, or Mr.
Daubeny for Mr. Gresham,--as some ten or a dozen years since Mr.
Mildmay told her to sen