newspapers,
you will have seen this yourself."

Second to a censure of himself, the severest thing for poor Tony to
endure was any sneer at his countrymen; but he made a great effort to
remain patient, and did not utter a word.

"Mind," resumed the Minister, "don't misunderstand me. I do not say that
your countrymen are deficient in quickness and a certain ready-witted
way of meeting emergencies. Yes, they have that as well as some other
qualities of the same order; but these things won't make statesmen.
This was an old battle-ground between your father and myself thirty
years ago. Strange to think I should have to fight over the same
question with his son now."

Tony did not exactly perceive what was his share in the conflict, but he
still kept silence.

"Your father was a clever fellow, too, and he had a brother,--a much
cleverer, by the way; there 's the man to serve you,--Sir Omerod Butler.
He 's alive, I know, for I saw his pension certificate not a week ago.
Have you written to him?"

"No, sir. My father and my uncle were not on speaking terms for years,
and it is not likely I would appeal to Sir Omerod for assistance."

"The quarrel, or coolness, or whatever it was, might have been the fault
of your father."

"No, sir, it was not."

"Well, with that I have no concern. All that I know is, your uncle is
a man of a certain influence--at least with his own party--which is not
ours. He is, besides, rich; an old bachelor, too, if I 'm not mistaken;
and so it might be worth the while of a young fellow who has his way to
make in life, to compromise a little of his family pride."

"I don't think so: I won't do it," broke in Tony, hotly. "If you have
no other counsel to give me than one you never would have given to my
father, all I have to say is, I wish I had spared myself the trouble,
and my poor mother the cost of this journey."

If the great man's wrath was moved by the insolent boldness of the
first part of this speech, the vibrating voice and the emotion that
accompanied the last words touched him, and, going over to where the
young man stood, he laid his hand kindly on his shoulder, and said:
"You'll have to keep this warm temper of yours in more subjection,
Butler, if you want to get on in life. The advice I gave you was very
worldly, perhaps; but when you live to be my age, such will be the
temper in which you'll come to consider most things. And, after all,"
said he, with a smile, "you 're only the