aware that the matter was an annoyance, and at times
almost wished that her Grace was at--Longroyston.

And there was a third politician staying at Matching Priory who had
never yet risen to the rank of a statesman, but who had his hopes.
This was Mr Bott, the member for St Helens, whom Lady Glencora had
described as a man who stood about, with red hair,--and perhaps told
tales of her to her husband. Mr Bott was a person who certainly had
had some success in life and who had won it for himself. He was not
very young, being at this time only just on the right side of fifty.
He was now enjoying his second session in Parliament, having been
returned as a pledged disciple of the Manchester school. Nor had he
apparently been false to his pledges. At St Helens he was still held
to be a good man and true. But they who sat on the same side with him
in the House and watched his political manoeuvres, knew that he was
striving hard to get his finger into the public pie. He was not a
rich man, though he had made calico and had got into Parliament. And
though he claimed to be a thoroughgoing Radical, he was a man who
liked to live with aristocrats, and was fond of listening to the
whispers of such as the Duke of St Bungay or Mr Palliser. It was
supposed that he did understand something of finance. He was at any
rate great in figures; and as he was possessed of much industry, and
was obedient withal, he was a man who might make himself useful to a
Chancellor of the Exchequer ambitious of changes.

There are men who get into such houses as Matching Priory and whose
presence there is a mystery to many;--as to whom the ladies of the
house never quite understand why they are entertaining such a guest.
"And Mr Bott is coming," Mr Palliser had said to his wife. "Mr Bott!"
Lady Glencora had answered. "Goodness me! who is Mr Bott?" "He is
member for St Helens," said Mr Palliser. "A very serviceable man in
his way." "And what am I to do with him?" asked Lady Glencora. "I
don't know that you can do anything with him. He is a man who has
a great deal of business, and I dare say he will spend most of
his time in the library." So Mr Bott arrived. But though a huge
pile of letters and papers came to him every morning by post, he
unfortunately did not seem to spend much of his time in the library.
Perhaps he had not found the clue to that lost apartment. Twice he
went out shooting, but as on the first day he shot the keeper, and
on the second ve