y, were intent upon politics. Mr Palliser, who may be regarded
as the fox who had lost his tail,--the tail being, in this instance,
the comfort of domestic privacy,--was eager in recommending his new
friend to cut off his tail also. "Your argument would be very well,"
said he, "if men were to be contented to live for themselves only."

"Your argument would be very well," said the other, "if it were used
to a man who felt that he could do good to others by going into
public life. But it is wholly inefficacious if it recommends public
life simply or chiefly because a man may gratify his own ambition by
public services."

"Of course there is personal gratification, and of course there is
good done," said Mr Palliser.

"Is,--or should be," said Mr Grey.

"Exactly; and the two things must go together. The chief
gratification comes from the feeling that you are of use."

"But if you feel that you would not be of use?"

We need not follow the argument any further. We all know its nature,
and what between two such men would be said on both sides. We all
know that neither of them would put the matter altogether in a true
light. Men never can do so in words, let the light within themselves
be ever so clear. I do not think that any man yet ever had such a
gift of words as to make them a perfect exponent of all the wisdom
within him. But the effect was partly that which the weaker man of
the two desired,--the weaker in the gifts of nature, though art
had in some respects made him stronger. Mr Grey was shaken in his
quiescent philosophy, and startled Alice,--startled her as much as he
delighted her,--by a word or two he said as he walked with her in the
courts of the Louvre. "It's all hollow here," he said, speaking of
French politics.

"Very hollow," said Alice, who had no love for the French mode of
carrying on public affairs.

"Of all modes of governing this seems to me to be the surest of
coming to a downfall. Men are told that they are wise enough to talk,
but not wise enough to have any power of action. It is as though men
were cautioned that they were walking through gunpowder, and that
no fire could be allowed them, but were at the same time enjoined
to carry lucifer matches in their pockets. I don't believe in the
gunpowder, and I think there should be fire, and plenty of it; but if
I didn't want the fire I wouldn't have the matches."

"It's so odd to hear you talk politics," said Alice, laughing.

After this h