orne, and Gregg's
Hotel,--not that he said anything about Parker's Hotel,--and the
Colonial Office. He spoke of Miss Nora, and even knew the names of
the other two young ladies, Miss Sophia and Miss Lucy. It was a
weakness with Bozzle,--that of displaying his information. He would
have much liked to be able to startle Sir Marmaduke by describing
the Government House in the island, or by telling him something of
his old carriage-horses. But of such information as Sir Marmaduke
desired, Sir Marmaduke got none.

And there were other troubles which fell very heavily upon the poor
governor, who had come home as it were for a holiday, and who was a
man hating work naturally, and who, from the circumstances of his
life, had never been called on to do much work. A man may govern the
Mandarins and yet live in comparative idleness. To do such governing
work well a man should have a good presence, a flow of words which
should mean nothing, an excellent temper, and a love of hospitality.
With these attributes Sir Rowley was endowed; for, though his
disposition was by nature hot, for governing purposes it had been
brought by practice under good control. He had now been summoned
home through the machinations of his dangerous old friend Colonel
Osborne, in order that he might give the results of his experience in
governing before a committee of the House of Commons. In coming to
England on this business he had thought much more of his holiday, of
his wife and children, of his daughters at home, of his allowance per
day while he was to be away from his government, and of his salary to
be paid to him entire during his absence, instead of being halved as
it would be if he were away on leave,--he had thought much more in
coming home on these easy and pleasant matters, than he did on the
work that was to be required from him when he arrived. And then it
came to pass that he felt himself almost injured when the Colonial
Office demanded his presence from day to day, and when clerks
bothered him with questions as to which they expected ready replies,
but in replying to which Sir Marmaduke was by no means ready. The
working men at the Colonial Office had not quite thought that Sir
Marmaduke was the most fitting man for the job in hand. There was a
certain Mr. Thomas Smith at another set of islands in quite another
part of the world, who was supposed by these working men at home to
be a very paragon of a governor. If he had been had home,--so