ry nearly shot the Duke, he gave that up. Hunting he
declined, though much pressed to make an essay in that art by Jeffrey
Palliser. He seemed to spend his time, as Lady Glencora said, in
standing about,--except at certain times when he was closeted with
Mr Palliser, and when, it may be presumed, he made himself useful.
On such days he would be seen at the hour of lunch with fingers
much stained with ink, and it was generally supposed that on those
occasions he had been counting up taxes and calculating the effect
of great financial changes. He was a tall, wiry, strong man, with a
bald head and bristly red beard, which, however, was cut off from his
upper and under lip. This was unfortunate, as had he hidden his mouth
he would not have been in so marked a degree an ugly man. His upper
lip was very long, and his mouth was mean. But he had found that
without the help of a razor to these parts he could not manage his
soup to his satisfaction, and preferring cleanliness to beauty had
shaved himself accordingly.

"I shouldn't dislike Mr Bott so much," Lady Glencora said to her
husband, "if he didn't rub his hands and smile so often, and seem
to be going to say something when he really is not going to say
anything."

"I don't think you need trouble yourself about him, my dear," Mr
Palliser had answered.

"But when he looks at me in that way, I can't help stopping, as
I think he is going to speak; and then he always says, 'Can I do
anything for you, Lady Glen-cowrer?'"

She instantly saw that her husband did not like this. "Don't be angry
with me, dear," she said. "You must admit that he is rather a bore."

"I am not at all angry, Glencora," said the husband; "and if you
insist upon it, I will see that he leaves;--and in such case will
of course never ask him again. But that might be prejudicial to me,
as he is a man whom I trust in politics, and who may perhaps be
serviceable to me."

Of course Lady Glencora declared that Mr Bott might remain as long as
he and her husband desired, and of course she mentioned his name no
more to Mr Palliser; but from that time forth she regarded Mr Bott as
an enemy, and felt also that Mr Bott regarded her in the same light.

When it was known among outside politicians that the Duke of St
Bungay was staying at Matching Priory, outside politicians became
more sure than ever that Mr Palliser would be the new Chancellor of
the Exchequer. The old minister and the young minister were of cou