had not been invited, and had expressed great animosity against the
Duke in consequence. She had gone so far as to say that the Duke was
a man at whose house a young lady such as her niece ought not to be
seen. But Violet had laughed at this, and declared her intention of
accepting the invitation. "Go," she had said; "of course I shall go.
I should have broken my heart if I could not have got there." Phineas
therefore was sure that she must be in the place. He had kept his
eyes ever on the alert, and yet he had not found her. And now he must
keep his appointment with Lady Laura Kennedy. So he went down to the
path by the river, and there he found her seated close by the water's
edge. Her cousin Barrington Erle was still with her, but as soon as
Phineas joined them, Erle went away. "I had told him," said Lady
Laura, "that I wished to speak to you, and he stayed with me till you
came. There are worse men than Barrington a great deal."

"I am sure of that."

"Are you and he still friends, Mr. Finn?"

"I hope so. I do not see so much of him as I did when I had less to
do."

"He says that you have got into altogether a different set."

"I don't know that. I have gone as circumstances have directed me,
but I have certainly not intended to throw over so old and good a
friend as Barrington Erle."

"Oh,--he does not blame you. He tells me that you have found your
way among what he calls the working men of the party, and he thinks
you will do very well,--if you can only be patient enough. We all
expected a different line from you, you know,--more of words and
less of deeds, if I may say so;--more of liberal oratory and less of
government action; but I do not doubt that you are right."

"I think that I have been wrong," said Phineas. "I am becoming
heartily sick of officialities."

"That comes from the fickleness about which papa is so fond of
quoting his Latin. The ox desires the saddle. The charger wants to
plough."

"And which am I?"

"Your career may combine the dignity of the one with the utility of
the other. At any rate you must not think of changing now. Have you
seen Mr. Kennedy lately?" She asked the question abruptly, showing
that she was anxious to get to the matter respecting which she had
summoned him to her side, and that all that she had said hitherto had
been uttered as it were in preparation of that subject.

"Seen him? yes; I see him daily. But we hardly do more than speak,"

"Why not?" Phineas