you should
have been Lord Roehampton's private secretary. That is real politics,
and he is a real statesman. You must not let Mr. Wilton mislead you
about the state of affairs in the cabinet. The cabinet consists of the
prime minister and Lord Roehampton, and, if they are united, all the
rest is vapour. And they will not consent to any nonsense about touching
the corn laws; you may be sure of that. Besides, I will tell you a
secret, which is not yet Pulchinello's secret, though I daresay it will
be known when we all return to town--we shall have a great event when
parliament meets; a royal marriage. What think you of that? The young
queen is going to be married, and to a young prince, like a prince in
a fairy tale. As Lord Roehampton wrote to me this morning, 'Our royal
marriage will be much more popular than the Anti-Corn-Law League.'"

The royal marriage was very popular; but, unfortunately, it reflected no
splendour on the ministry. The world blessed the queen and cheered
the prince, but shook its head at the government. Sir Robert Peel
also--whether from his own motive or the irresistible impulse of his
party need not now be inquired into--sanctioned a direct attack on
the government, in the shape of a vote of want of confidence in them,
immediately the court festivities were over, and the attack was defeated
by a narrow majority.

"Nothing could be more unprincipled," said Berengaria, "after he had
refused to take office last year. As for our majority, it is, under such
circumstances, twenty times more than we want. As Lord Roehampton says,
one is enough."

Trade and revenue continued to decline. There was again the prospect of
a deficiency. The ministry, too, was kept in by the Irish vote, and
the Irish then were very unpopular. The cabinet itself generally was
downcast, and among themselves occasionally murmured a regret that they
had not retired when the opportunity offered in the preceding year.
Berengaria, however, would not bate an inch of confidence and courage.
"You think too much," she said to Endymion, "of trade and finance. Trade
always comes back, and finance never ruined a country, or an individual
either if he had pluck. Mr. Sidney Wilton is a croaker. The things
he fears will never happen; or, if they do, will turn out to be
unimportant. Look to Lord Roehampton; he is the man. He does not care a
rush whether the revenue increases or declines. He is thinking of real
politics: foreign affairs; maint