if it
were possible.

"Are you going to ride with us after lunch?" said Lady Glencora to
him as he strolled into the drawing-room.

"No," said Jeffrey; "I'm going to study."

"To do what?" said Lady Glencora.

"To study;--or rather I shall spend to-day in sitting down and
considering what I will study. My cousin has just been telling me
that I ought to do something."

"So you ought," said Iphigenia energetically from her writing-desk.

"But he didn't seem to have any clear opinion what it ought to be.
You see there can't be two Chancellors of the Exchequer at the same
time. Mrs Sparkes, what ought a young man like me to set about
doing?"

"Go into Parliament, I should say," said Mrs Sparkes.

"Ah, yes; exactly. He had some notion of that kind, too, but he
didn't name any particular place. I think I'll try the City of
London. They've four there, and of course the chance of getting in
would thereby be doubled."

"I thought that commercial men were generally preferred in the City,"
said the Duchess, taking a strong and good-natured interest in the
matter.

"Mr Palliser means to make a fortune in trade as a preliminary," said
Mrs Sparkes.

"I don't think he meant anything of the kind," said the Duchess.

"At any rate I have got to do something, so I can't go and ride,"
said Jeffrey.

"And you ought to do something," said Iphigenia from her desk.

Twice during this little conversation Lady Glencora had looked up,
catching Alice's eye, and Alice had well known what she had meant.
"You see," the glance had said, "Plantagenet is beginning to take an
interest in his cousin, and you know why. The man who is to be the
father of the future dukes must not be allowed to fritter away his
time in obscurity. Had I that cradle up-stairs Jeffrey might be as
idle as he pleased." Alice understood it well.

Of course Jeffrey did join the riding party. "What is a man like me
to do who wants to do something?" he said to Alice. Alice was quite
aware that Lady Glencora had contrived some little scheme that Mr
Palliser should be riding next to her. She liked Mr Palliser, and
therefore had no objection; but she declared to herself that her
cousin was a goose for her pains.

"Mrs Sparkes says you ought to go into Parliament."

"Yes;--and the dear Duchess would perhaps suggest a house in Belgrave
Square. I want to hear your advice now."

"I can only say ditto to Miss Palliser."

"What! Iphy? About procrastination? But you