—live
and
let
live
—
send
her
the
invitation
.
It
seems
to
me
,
my
dear
Spiffy
,
that
you
and
the
Bodwinkles
and
Miss
Rumsort
are
all
in
the
same
line
of
life
,
so
you
should
not
be
too
hard
upon
her
.
As
a
matter
of
policy
,
social
adventurers
should
do
what
they
can
for
each
other
.
"
Spiffy
's
face
flushed
,
for
if
he
had
lost
the
conscience
,
he
still
retained
the
consciousness
,
of
a
gentleman
,
and
he
felt
the
reproach
.
Just
at
this
moment
,
Mr
Wog
,
who
had
been
elected
an
honorary
member
of
the
"
Piccadilly
,
"
and
was
standing
,
unconsciously
to
us
,
listening
to
our
conversation
,
struck
in
,
and
averted
the
retort
which
was
rising
to
Spiffy
's
lips
.
"
I
guess
,
"
he
said
,
turning
to
Spiffy
,
for
whose
talents
he
evidently
entertained
a
high
admiration
,
"
that
I
could
give
you
a
few
hints
,
from
my
own
experiences
in
New
York
,
that
might
help
you
in
your
line
of
business
.
My
own
,
sir
,
in
that
city
,
was
quite
similar
to
yours
in
this
.
You
operate
at
night
in
Mayfair
,
and
by
day
'
On
'
Change
.
'
Well
,
sir
,
I
had
two
spheres
of
operation
,
one
was
on
Wall
Street
,
and
the
other
on
Fifth
Avenue
.
In
fact
,
I
may
say
that
Wall
Street
is
the
broad
and
flowery
road
that
leads
to
Fifth
Avenue
.
The
trouble
with
operators
in
this
country
is
,
they
do
n't
understand
how
to
do
things
on
a
large
scale
.
Now
the
first
thing
I
did
when
I
went
to
do
business
in
New
York
,
was
to
keep
a
judge
.
"
"
To
keep
a
judge
?
"
said
Spiffy
with
amazement
.
"
Why
,
yes
.
How
can
you
operate
freely
if
you
are
afraid
of
the
law
?
Besides
his
regular
monthly
allowance
,
my
judge
gets
a
percentage
on
every
one
of
my
financial
enterprises
which
are
fraudulent
according
to
the
letter
of
the
statute
.
Then
it
costs
me
a
good
deal
to
manage
to
get
all
my
lawsuits
tried
in
his
court
.
Besides
,
I
have
to
keep
a
number
of
members
of
both
the
Houses
of
the
Legislature
at
Albany
regularly
retained
,
and
to
put
a
big
pile
on
one
side
for
lobby
operations
at
Washington
,
to
say
nothing
about
keeping
the
pockets
of
police
and
custom-house
officers
and
other
small
fry
well
lined
.
The
press
alone
swallows
up
the
fifth
of
all
I
make
.
How
do
you
suppose
I
could
ever
have
accomplished
my
celebrated
combination
by
which
I
got
four
large
railroads
under
my
control
,
and
sold
a
secret
issue
of
twenty
millions
of
stock
for
fifteen
millions
,
without
ever
paying
one
dime
of
it
to
any
of
the
companies
,
if
I
had
not
stopped
the
mouths
of
the
lawyers
,
politicians
,
and
newspapers
with
greenbacks
?
Why
,
sir
,
I
have
ruined
more
whole
families
in
one
day
by
one
of
my
financial
operations
,
than
any
other
man
in
the
United
States
has
in
a
month
;
and
by
the
extraordinary
novelty
,
grandeur
,
variety
,
and
success
of
my
undertakings
,
I
have
won
the
admiration
,
envy
,
and
respect
of
the
majority
of
my
countrymen
.
"
Spiffy
seemed
deeply
impressed
by
the
superior
force
and
originality
of
conception
displayed
by
Mr
Wog
—
no
indication
of
these
qualities
appearing
on
his
calm
exterior
.
"
Of
what
nature
are
your
operations
in
Fifth
Avenue
?
"
he
asked
.
"
Oh
,
purely
social
,
"
Mr
Wog
replied
.
"
You
see
the
aristocracy
of
New
York
require
to
be
approached
in
a
very
special
way
.
You
can
enter
into
the
ranks
of
the
upper
ten
,
either
by
becoming
a
pillar
of
a
fashionable
church
,
or
by
driving
the
fastest
trotters
and
handsomest
four-in-hand
teams
in
Central
Park
,
or
by
the
help
of
Mr
Pink
.
"
"
By
the
help
of
Mr
Pink
?
"
said
I
,
interrogatively
.
"
Yes
.
He
corresponds
to
our
friend
Spiffy
here
.
He
is
the
sexton
of
St
Grace
's
,
the
most
fashionable
church
in
New
York
;
and
when
you
have
made
your
pile
,
and
want
to
start
in
fashionable
life
,
and
do
n't
know
who
to
invite
,
he
makes
out
your
list
,
and
puts
the
invitations
to
your
first
ball
in
the
prayer-books
of
the
congregation
.
It
imparts
a
sort
of
odour
of
sanctity
to
our
entertainments
,
which
is
exceedingly
gratifying
to
our
most
refined
circles
.
"
"
I
suppose
,
"
said
I
,
"
now
that
your
social
and
financial
position
are
secured
,
you
will
run
for
Congress
.
"
"
Sir
,
"
said
Mr
Wog
,
sternly
,
"
when
I
explained
to
you
the
nature
of
my
commercial
success
,
it
was
to
convey
to
you
the
idea
of
my
smartness
,
not
of
my
meanness
.
I
am
not
aware
of
having
said
anything
to
lead
you
to
suppose
that
I
could
so
far
degrade
myself
as
to
become
a
politician
.
"
"
What
a
comfort
it
will
be
,
"
I
remarked
,
"
when
the
rotten
old
despotisms
of
Europe
,
and
the
political
ambitions
that
belong
to
them
,
shall
have
crumbled
to
the
dust
,
and
when
we
have
instead
the
free
and
glorious
institutions
of
the
West
,
which
seem
to
offer
nothing
to
tempt
a
man
from
the
ennobling
pursuit
of
hard
cash
!
"
But
Mr
Wog
failed
to
appreciate
the
force
of
my
remark
,
as
he
was
intently
endeavouring
to
catch
the
purport
of
a
very
private
conversation
carried
on
by
a
group
a
few
yards
off
,
towards
which
he
gradually
edged
,
in
the
hope
that
he
might
be
able
either
to
acquire
or
impart
some
interesting
information
.
Spiffy
looked
more
humbled
and
crestfallen
than
I
had
ever
seen
him
;
but
remembering
that
he
had
still
a
score
unsettled
,
in
consequence
of
the
remark
which
Mr
Wog
's
arrival
had
interrupted
,
he
said
,
maliciously
,
—
"
By
the
way
,
what
is
the
real
state
of
the
case
about
you
and
Lady
Ursula
?
I
do
n't
apologise
for
asking
,
as
I
am
sure
you
must
want
the
right
version
to
be
known
both
for
your
sake
and
hers
.
"
"
The
right
version
is
simply
that
I
neither
am
at
this
moment
nor
ever
have
been
engaged
to
Lady
Ursula
.
"
"
Then
why
did
you
tell
Helter
you
were
,
and
why
are
you
pulling
the
family
through
their
difficulties
?
"
"
Because
Helter
was
provoking
me
almost
as
much
as
you
are
,
though
I
admit
that
is
no
reason
why
I
should
not
have
told
the
truth
.
As
for
the
motives
which
actuate
me
in
meddling
in
those
pecuniary
transactions
in
which
you
and
Lady
Broadhem
are
implicated
,
I
am
afraid
you
would
not
understand
them
if
I
were
to
attempt
to
explain
them
.
It
is
a
complicated
business
altogether
.
We
shall
get
through
it
most
satisfactorily
by
each
minding
our
own
share
of
it
,
"
I
said
significantly
,
and
I
walked
off
to
a
table
where
Broadhem
was
writing
letters
.
I
had
not
seen
him
since
my
interview
with
his
sister
.
He
looked
gloomy
and
discontented
,
and
gave
me
a
cold
glance
of
recognition
.
"
How
are
you
,
Broadhem
?
I
suppose
Lady
Ursula
told
you
the
result
of
our
conversation
,
"
I
said
in
a
low
tone
,
and
took
a
chair
by
his
side
.
He
nodded
sulkily
,
and
showed
a
disposition
to
cut
me
.
My
last
few
words
with
Spiffy
had
not
left
me
in
a
mood
to
be
cut
unresistingly
,
so
I
said
sharply
,
"
Well
,
I
hope
both
you
and
Lady
Broadhem
will
contradict
the
perfectly
unfounded
report
you
were
the
means
of
spreading
.
I
need
not
say
that
I
shall
do
my
share
,
and
I
trust
that
you
will
profit
by
the
lesson
you
have
received
not
to
interfere
in
matters
of
this
sort
again
.
"
"
I
tell
you
what
it
is
,
Frank
,
"
said
Broadhem
,
who
felt
that
somehow
I
was
more
to
blame
than
he
was
,
but
who
was
taken
aback
by
my
turning
the
tables
upon
him
so
suddenly
;
"
if
it
was
not
that
duelling
is
exploded
,
and
that
it
would
be
against
my
principles
at
any
rate
,
I
would
shoot
you
.
"
"
By
way
of
helping
to
clear
your
property
of
its
encumbrances
,
"
I
added
.
"
Your
mother
has
put
everything
into
my
hands
,
and
I
can
do
pretty
much
what
I
please
with
the
whole
family
.
"
"
Can
you
?
"
said
Broadhem
,
with
a
grim
smile
.
"
The
only
thing
that
consoles
me
in
the
whole
affair
is
,
that
you
will
find
that
you
have
got
a
little
score
to
settle
with
my
mother
.
If
you
knew
her
as
well
as
I
do
,
you
would
not
anticipate
the
interview
with
pleasure
.
As
for
Ursula
,
I
suppose
she
knows
her
own
business
best
,
but
I
do
n't
envy
her
the
life
she
is
likely
to
lead
either
.
"
"
The
alarming
interview
you
threaten
me
with
gives
me
no
uneasiness
,
"
I
said
,
"
but
perhaps
it
may
be
as
well
that
you
should
let
Lady
Broadhem
know
that
the
fact
of
my
not
being
engaged
to
her
daughter
will
not
interfere
with
the
arrangements
I
am
making
to
put
the
money
matters
of
the
family
right
.
"
"
Why
!
you
ca
n't
mean
that
!
"
said
Broadhem
,
thunderstruck
at
this
unexpected
announcement
;
and
he
looked
at
me
with
a
glance
of
affectionate
interest
.
"
You
must
be
mad
.
"
"
Did
your
sister
tell
you
so
?
"
I
asked
.
"
Once
she
did
make
a
mysterious
speech
,
and
I
really
think
she
meant
to
imply
something
of
the
sort
.
However
,
of
course
,
I
am
only
joking
.
I
need
not
say
I
hope
,
under
the
circumstances
,
it
will
be
long
before
you
recover
your
sanity
.
"
"
Are
you
going
to
the
Bodwinkles
'
to-morrow
?
"
said
I
,
doing
a
little
of
Bower
and
Scraper
's
work
.
"
Good
gracious
,
no
!
I
am
bored
to
death
with
having
to
answer
the
question
.
The
trouble
my
mother
has
taken
to
get
those
people
invitations
is
something
amazing
.
She
even
wanted
me
to
go
,
though
she
does
not
approve
of
balls
,
and
never
let
me
learn
to
dance
.
"
"
Let
me
introduce
you
to
Miss
Geary
.
You
are
not
too
old
to
begin
.
"
"
No
,
"
said
Broadhem
;
"
I
have
started
on
the
other
tack
,
and
people
would
say
it
was
inconsistent
;
besides
,
none
of
the
young
thinking
men
of
the
day
dance
,
even
though
they
may
not
be
religious
.
I
do
n't
suppose
that
there
is
a
single
man
in
the
Century
dances
.
"
This
observation
struck
me
as
so
preposterous
that
I
could
only
account
for
it
by
supposing
that
,
for
the
first
time
in
his
life
,
Broadhem
had
condescended
to
"
chaff
.
"
"
Not
'
a
man
'
in
the
ideal
sense
,
I
daresay
;
but
the
boys
are
not
more
backward
in
this
century
than
in
any
former
one
.
"
"
Boys
!
"
said
Broadhem
,
indignantly
;
"
there
are
no
boys
in
the
'
Century
;
'
the
'
Century
'
is
a
club
that
meets
twice
a-week
.
I
do
n't
go
on
Sunday
nights
myself
;
but
some
Thursday
night
I
will
take
you
,
"
and
Broadhem
plunged
back
into
the
correspondence
in
which
I
had
interrupted
him
,
while
I
strolled
home
down
Piccadilly
moralising
on
—
the
Century
.
I
do
n't
frequent
balls
now
,
but
I
went
to
Bodwinkle
's
for
a
variety
of
reasons
.
One
was
,
that
I
knew
I
should
see
everybody
,
and
have
an
opportunity
of
informing
the
public
correctly
about
my
own
affairs
.
Another
,
that
I
should
be
able
to
talk
over
some
business
matters
with
Bodwinkle
,
at
a
moment
when
he
might
possibly
be
more
pliant
than
I
usually
found
him
in
the
City
.
Every
soul
was
at
Bodwinkle
's
—
coroneted
carriages
filled
the
square
;
a
crowd
of
draggled
men
and
women
formed
a
line
six
or
eight
deep
on
each
side
of
the
awning
,
and
between
them
fine
ladies
hurried
across
the
pavement
,
encouraged
and
complimented
by
familiar
linkmen
,
and
very
particular
that
the
'
Morning
Post
'
reporter
,
seated
at
a
table
in
the
hall
,
should
take
down
their
names
accurately
.
The
stairs
were
so
crowded
that
Bodwinkle
,
who
looked
like
one
of
his
own
footmen
,
and
stood
at
the
top
of
them
,
facing
his
wife
,
was
red
and
apoplectic
from
pressure
.
His
"
lady
,
"
as
I
heard
one
of
his
City
friends
call
her
,
had
achieved
the
greatest
object
of
her
ambition
in
this
life
,
which
consisted
in
grinning
vacantly
,
and
curtsying
perpetually
to
people
she
had
never
seen
in
her
life
before
,
and
every
one
of
whom
despised
her
for
entertaining
them
.
"
Curious
idea
of
the
climax
of
earthly
enjoyment
,
"
I
remarked
to
Lady
Veriphast
,
who
was
so
tightly
wedged
between
the
banisters
and
a
rather
highly-scented
ambassador
from
Central
Asia
,
that
she
spoke
with
difficulty
;
"
I
suppose
it
must
be
a
pleasure
to
be
at
the
top
of
one
's
own
ladder
,
like
our
hostess
there
,
when
so
many
are
trying
to
climb
it
.
"
"
Do
not
philosophise
in
that
ridiculous
way
;
do
n't
you
see
I
am
suffering
agonies
?
"
said
Lady
Veriphast
,
in
a
tone
of
suppressed
anguish
.
"
Pinch
this
horrid
barbarian
in
front
of
me
or
I
shall
faint
.
"
"
Madam
,
"
I
overheard
a
well-known
voice
say
in
a
nasal
tone
close
to
me
,
"
allow
me
to
remark
,
that
for
a
hand
,
arm
,
and
wrist
,
I
have
not
seen
anything
since
I
have
been
in
England
like
that
owned
by
your
daughter
Mary
;
"
and
Mr
Wog
complacently
edged
himself
from
the
side
of
Lady
Mundane
to
that
of
the
daughter
he
had
eulogised
,
and
who
audibly
asked
Scraper
to
get
between
her
and
that
horrid
man
.
"
Just
what
one
deserves
for
coming
to
such
a
place
,
"
said
Lady
Mundane
furiously
,
who
,
by
the
way
,
had
repeatedly
asked
Wog
to
her
own
parties
.
"
I
have
often
remarked
,
sir
,
"
said
Mr
Wog
,
who
I
think
overheard
this
observation
,
turning
to
me
,
"
that
the
ladies
in
your
country
allow
quite
a
singular
effect
to
be
produced
in
their
hair
.
If
you
will
cast
your
eye
down
the
stair
you
will
observe
a
young
person
on
the
landing
,
the
parting
of
whose
hair
,
for
the
space
of
one
inch
on
either
side
,
is
black
,
while
the
two
large
bunches
on
her
temples
are
red
.
That
,
sir
,
is
a
phenomenon
I
have
not
remarked
in
my
own
country
.
"
"
Do
n't
you
know
how
it
happens
?
"
said
that
spiteful
old
Lady
Catchpole
,
whose
eyes
twinkled
with
malice
as
she
explained
to
Mr
Wog
that
,
when
the
hair
had
been
thoroughly
dyed
it
could
only
recover
its
natural
colour
by
this
slow
process
,
but
that
usually
the
effect
was
concealed
by
a
postiche
;
and
she
looked
hard
at
Lady
Veriphast
,
whose
hair
was
suspiciously
crep
—
,
and
who
wished
it
to
be
supposed
that
she
blushed
because
she
was
still
under
the
pressure
of
the
Asiatic
ambassador
.
"
What
is
the
exact
meaning
of
the
term
postiche
?
"
asked
Mr
Wog
,
who
observed
Lady
Veriphast
's
confusion
,
and
whose
thirst
for
information
seemed
to
increase
with
his
powers
of
making
himself
disagreeable
;
"
I
guess
it
must
mean
some
kind
of
wig
.
"
"
No
,
"
said
Lady
Catchpole
;
"
anything
false
which
is
well
made
up
we
call
a
postiche
;
it
need
not
be
exactly
a
wig
.
"
"
Nor
yet
a
Tory
,
"
interrupted
Wog
,
with
more
readiness
than
I
gave
him
credit
for
.
"
I
calculate
you
should
call
a
Liberal
Conservative
a
postiche
.
It
seems
to
me
the
most
popular
political
platform
in
this
country
at
your
next
elections
is
going
to
be
postiche
.
"
"
Look
,
my
dear
,
"
said
Lady
Pimlico
to
Lady
Mundane
,
"
there
are
the
two
Frenchwomen
,
"
and
she
directed
universal
attention
to
the
last
importations
from
the
Continent
,
Madame
la
Princesse
de
Biais
—
e
—
la
Queue
,
and
La
Baronne
de
Colt
—
,
whose
fame
had
preceded
them
from
Paris
,
and
who
created
such
a
sensation
that
the
general
hum
on
the
stairs
increased
,
and
the
whole
society
collected
there
audibly
criticised
the
new-comers
.
"
Why
,
positively
the
tall
one
has
got
her
hair
done
en
papillon
—
I
thought
it
had
gone
out
—
I
suppose
her
face
wo
n't
bear
being
coiffé
à
la
grècque
;
and
the
other
is
outrageously
painted
.
"
This
remark
was
made
so
loud
that
both
ladies
looked
up
,
but
failed
to
check
the
running
fire
of
comments
which
their
dress
and
appearance
suggested
.
"
They
say
the
Princess
makes
up
for
her
want
of
looks
by
her
legs
,
"
drawled
out
Larkington
to
Lady
Veriphast
;
"
but
I
am
afraid
we
shall
not
have
an
opportunity
of
seeing
them
to-night
,
it
is
so
crowded
.
"
"
They
are
not
worth
looking
at
;
I
saw
them
at
a
fancy
ball
in
Paris
,
"
said
Lady
Veriphast
,
"
and
I
assure
you
you
would
be
disappointed
.
By
the
way
,
have
you
the
least
notion
who
the
Bodwinkles
are
?
"
"
Not
I
,
"
replied
Larkington
.
"
I
did
not
come
here
to
make
their
acquaintance
,
nor
I
hope
did
you
.
"
I
think
Mrs
Bodwinkle
heard
the
speech
—
for
it
is
customary
in
good
society
to
make
remarks
about
one
's
neighbours
in
rather
a
loud
tone
—
as
she
coloured
a
little
when
she
was
pointed
out
to
Larkington
by
the
fat
butler
as
the
person
to
whom
he
was
expected
to
bow
.
Poor
woman
!
she
probably
thought
he
would
be
embarrassed
when
he
found
out
his
proximity
;
but
Larkington
is
above
any
such
weakness
,
and
sauntered
on
after
Lady
Veriphast
,
with
whom
he
has
affichéd
himself
for
the
last
few
weeks
,
to
the
great
comfort
of
Veriphast
,
who
has
long
been
desirous
of
making
his
wife
share
the
scandal
which
has
attached
to
his
name
for
some
time
past
.
"
And
it
is
for
this
,
my
dear
Mrs
Bodwinkle
,
"
I
thought
,
"
that
you
have
given
up
your
villa
at
Clapham
,
and
the
friends
that
respectfully
worshipped
at
the
Bodwinkle
shrine
,
who
gazed
upon
you
with
reverend
upturned
eyes
,
instead
of
irreverent
upturned
noses
,
like
the
present
company
!
Do
you
think
,
when
you
have
blazed
for
a
moment
and
gone
out
like
a
blue-light
,
that
you
will
know
how
to
find
your
way
in
the
dark
back
to
Clapham
,
or
that
you
will
be
able
to
collect
your
old
congregation
?
Will
not
new
Bodwinkles
have
arisen
above
the
suburban
horizon
,
or
will
the
departed
glories
of
your
rapid
but
bright
passage
across
the
firmament
of
fashion
always
secure
you
an
audience
who
will
gladly
listen
to
your
wonderful
experiences
in
the
great
world
,
to
whom
you
will
recount
the
devotion
manifested
towards
you
by
certain
noblemen
,
and
the
slights
you
received
at
the
hands
of
certain
noblewomen
,
and
who
will
stare
when
you
describe
the
Broadhem-Spiffy
combination
which
sent
you
up
like
a
rocket
,
and
the
sudden
collapse
of
that
combination
which
will
assuredly
bring
you
down
like
a
stick
?
Never
mind
,
Mrs
B
.
;
whatever
happens
,
nothing
short
of
a
fire
can
deprive
you
of
the
basket
of
fashionable
cards
which
will
be
left
upon
you
during
the
season
,
and
which
,
carefully
treasured
with
your
dinner
menus
,
will
be
a
lasting
evidence
of
the
reality
of
that
social
triumph
which
might
otherwise
seem
like
the
'
baseless
fabric
of
a
dream
.
'
"
And
this
consideration
reminds
me
that
I
possess
middle-class
readers
,
who
may
positively
doubt
the
truth
of
the
picture
which
I
am
endeavouring
to
give
them
of
the
society
in
which
Mrs
Bodwinkle
now
found
herself
.
They
will
not
have
the
advantage
of
hearing
from
the
lips
of
that
good
lady
these
wonderful
traits
of
the
manners
and
customs
of
this
,
to
them
,
mysterious
class
.
And
therefore
they
will
fail
to
see
any
particular
merit
in
what
they
may
suppose
to
be
merely
a
flippant
delineation
of
a
purely
ideal
state
of
society
.
My
dear
readers
,
I
should
be
no
more
competent
to
invent
a
state
of
society
so
eccentric
in
its
habits
and
constitution
as
this
of
London
cream
,
than
I
should
be
to
write
an
account
of
lion-hunting
like
the
late
lamented
Jules
Gerard
.
That
was
a
real
strain
upon
the
imaginative
and
constructive
faculties
;
I
aspire
to
no
such
talent
,
but
simply
contemplate
hyperbolically
a
certain
phase
of
contemporary
civilisation
.
If
,
by
way
of
a
little
pastime
,
I
put
Mayfair
into
a
fancy
dress
,
it
only
appears
in
its
true
colours
and
becomes
fancy-fair
,
with
a
great
deal
of
show
and
very
little
substance
;
so
I
dress
it
up
as
it
pleases
me
,
but
I
invent
nothing
.
I
confine
myself
strictly
to
the
stage
properties
.
You
in
the
pit
or
gallery
may
be
too
far
off
to
see
,
but
I
assure
you
I
have
avoided
anything
beyond
the
exaggeration
permissible
in
a
caricature
.
As
I
know
your
imitative
faculties
,
dear
middle
classes
,
I
can
conscientiously
assure
you
that
you
may
take
'
Piccadilly
'
as
a
guide
upon
which
to
frame
your
own
society
.
Take
the
most
successful
costermonger
of
the
neighbourhood
and
erect
him
into
a
Bodwinkle
,
and
fall
down
upon
your
knees
before
the
most
opulent
pawnbroker
of
your
parish
;
and
you
will
feel
that
you
are
only
performing
,
on
a
humble
scale
,
the
same
act
of
worship
as
those
above
you
.
Lady
Jane
Helter
,
followed
by
Wild
Harrie
,
came
up
while
I
was
thus
musing
.
"
So
,
Lord
Frank
,
"
she
said
,
"
you
are
not
to
be
congratulated
after
all
?
I
suppose
you
heard
of
our
dinner
at
the
Whitechapels
'
?
We
all
thought
your
conduct
very
incomprehensible
.
I
assure
you
Lady
Broadhem
seemed
as
much
in
the
dark
as
the
rest
of
us
.
"
"
And
you
want
to
be
enlightened
?
"
said
I
.
"
Well
,
it
has
been
a
social
canard
throughout
,
which
I
did
not
at
first
think
worth
contradicting
.
There
must
be
a
certain
number
every
season
.
"
"
I
am
sure
we
want
them
more
than
ever
now
,
"
said
Wild
Harrie
.
"
Was
there
ever
such
an
utterly
flat
season
?
I
only
went
to
two
balls
last
week
,
and
,
as
they
say
at
'
the
corner
,
'
'
there
was
positively
nothing
doing
.
'
"
"
It
is
not
the
same
in
every
corner
,
"
said
I
;
"
look
opposite
,
"
and
I
pointed
out
Larkington
and
Lady
Veriphast
snugly
ensconced
in
a
recess
.
"
Poor
Amy
!
I
am
afraid
that
wo
n't
suit
her
book
,
"
said
Wild
Harrie
.
"
She
is
really
devoted
to
Lord
Larkington
.
I
told
her
to
hedge
,
but
she
says
she
has
too
much
heart
.
By
the
way
,
I
want
to
have
a
little
private
conversation
with
you
.
Take
me
to
have
a
cup
of
tea
,
or
a
quadrille
,
or
something
"
—
this
in
rather
a
low
tone
,
not
for
Lady
Jane
's
benefit
;
and
we
sidled
off
through
the
throng
,
leaving
Lady
Jane
at
the
doorway
,
which
,
in
the
absence
of
her
ladyship
,
does
duty
as
chaperon
.
"
Do
you
know
,
Lord
Frank
,
"
said
my
companion
,
"
that
it
really
was
very
kind
of
you
to
get
me
the
invitation
you
did
,
and
that
I
can
appreciate
kindness
;
can
you
guess
how
?
"
"
By
asking
me
to
do
something
else
for
you
,
"
I
said
.
"
Exactly
,
"
she
said
,
laughing
;
"
but
this
time
it
will
not
perhaps
be
quite
so
easy
.
I
want
you
to
get
me
a
card
for
Lady
Broadhem
's
on
Thursday
week
.
"
"
For
Lady
Broadhem
's
!
"
said
I
,
astounded
.
"
How
on
earth
did
you
come
to
hear
of
it
?
Why
,
it
is
a
meeting
,
not
a
party
.
A
few
Christian
friends
are
going
to
hear
the
Bishop
of
the
Caribbee
Islands
describe
the
state
of
mission-work
in
his
diocese
.
You
would
be
bored
to
death
.
"
"
Indeed
I
should
not
,
"
said
Wild
Harrie
.
"
I
have
a
brother
in
India
;
and
I
have
heard
so
much
about
the
heathen
.
Besides
,
I
want
to
make
Lady
Ursula
's
acquaintance
.
"
"
I
really
do
n't
think
,
"
said
I
,
a
good
deal
puzzled
,
"
that
you
will
find
it
a
very
congenial
atmosphere
,
but
I
am
sure
nobody
can
know
Lady
Ursula
without
deriving
benefit
,
so
I
should
feel
too
glad
to
be
the
means
of
making
you
acquainted
;
but
Lady
Jane
will
never
take
you
.
"
"
Oh
,
mamma
will
;
you
know
her
brother
was
a
clergyman
.
Promise
.
Do
n't
forget
—
one
for
me
and
one
for
mamma
.
Now
I
must
leave
you
;
I
quite
forgot
I
was
engaged
to
little
Haultort
for
this
dance
,
and
there
he
is
hunting
for
me
everywhere
,
"
and
she
dragged
me
to
the
spot
where
that
young
gentleman
was
stroking
a
fluffy
mustache
,
with
an
imbecile
air
.
"
Do
you
call
that
hunting
?
"
said
I
;
"
He
must
be
in
chase
of
ideas
.
"
"
Of
course
he
is
.
Now
watch
him
catch
big
idée
fixe
,
"
and
she
placed
herself
before
him
.
Poor
youth
!
how
he
coloured
and
stammered
,
as
a
ray
of
intelligence
illumined
his
countenance
!
"
So
that
is
the
way
you
keep
your
engagements
,
Lord
Haultort
,
is
it
?
Well
,
you
have
forfeited
your
dance
"
—
the
ray
went
out
—
"
but
you
may
take
me
back
to
Lady
Jane
.
"
The
ray
came
back
again
;
he
was
sufficiently
experienced
to
know
what
that
meant
,
and
Lord
Haultort
disappeared
into
the
next
room
with
his
idée
fixe
on
his
arm
,
and
I
looked
the
other
way
half
an
hour
after
,
when
I
passed
the
corresponding
recess
in
which
Larkington
and
Lady
Veriphast
were
still
sitting
,
and
saw
who
were
there
.
"
I
wonder
what
that
little
girl
wants
to
know
the
Broadhems
for
?
"
I
ruminated
,
and
for
some
time
I
was
positively
fool
enough
to
continue
to
wonder
.
"
I
tell
you
what
it
is
,
Goldtip
,
"
I
overheard
Bodwinkle
say
,
"
that
idea
of
yours
about
giving
presents
is
all
humbug
;
we
've
got
the
people
here
,
what
do
you
want
to
give
them
presents
for
?
"
"
In
the
first
place
,
"
retorted
Spiffy
,
"
they
will
never
come
again
unless
you
keep
faith
with
them
now
,
for
I
have
been
giving
it
out
specially
that
no
expense
was
to
be
spared
;
and
in
the
second
place
,
as
you
have
got
all
the
presents
made
up
in
ribbons
,
etc.
,
what
else
are
you
to
do
with
them
?
The
girls
will
be
terribly
disappointed
.
"
Bodwinkle
shook
his
head
sulkily
,
and
Spiffy
,
seeing
me
,
adroitly
turned
the
conversation
.
"
I
was
talking
over
the
prospects
of
the
approaching
election
,
Frank
,
with
Bodwinkle
,
and
telling
him
how
much
you
could
assist
us
with
your
influence
in
Shuffleborough
;
it
seems
to
me
that
he
is
likely
to
be
turned
out
unless
your
brother-in-law
,
Sir
John
Stepton
,
will
come
to
the
rescue
.
It
would
be
well
worth
your
while
,
Bodwinkle
,
to
let
Lady
Broadhem
's
matter
stand
over
until
you
have
made
sure
of
your
seat
,
"
said
Spiffy
,
looking
significantly
at
me
.
"
Oh
,
certainly
,
"
said
Bodwinkle
,
"
if
you
will
secure
your
brother-in-law
's
adhesion
to
our
plans
.
You
will
find
me
very
amenable
in
that
unfortunate
affair
of
Lady
Broadhem
's
.
I
know
what
an
interest
you
take
in
it
,
and
I
am
sure
,
for
your
sake
,
if
not
for
hers
—
ahem
,
"
and
Bodwinkle
,
quite
unconscious
that
he
was
behaving
like
a
scoundrel
,
smiled
upon
me
blandly
.
"
It
seems
to
me
,
"
said
I
,
"
that
,
considering
what
you
owe
to
Lady
Broadhem
,
"
and
I
looked
round
the
crowded
room
,
"
you
ought
not
to
be
too
hard
upon
her
.
"
"
Ah
,
well
,
I
must
admit
that
her
ladyship
and
our
friend
Goldtip
here
are
doing
their
best
to
balance
the
account
;
but
I
have
made
it
a
principle
through
life
never
to
be
satisfied
with
anything
short
of
my
full
money
's
worth
;
and
I
do
n't
even
feel
now
,
if
you
make
my
election
a
certainty
,
that
we
shall
be
more
than
square
.
"
"
What
are
your
other
principles
besides
that
of
getting
your
full
money
's
worth
?
"
said
I
,
with
a
sneer
,
that
was
lost
upon
Bodwinkle
.
"
High
Tory
,
"
he
replied
,
promptly
.
"
None
of
your
Liberal
Conservatives
for
me
this
time
—
that
did
well
enough
last
election
.
"
"
But
Stepton
is
an
absolute
Radical
,
"
said
I
.
"
Exactly
:
that
is
why
he
is
so
important
.
You
see
the
fact
is
—
here
,
Goldtip
,
explain
our
little
game
;
it
is
all
his
idea
,
and
he
can
put
it
better
than
me
.
"
I
knew
from
the
bold
defiant
way
in
which
Spiffy
raised
his
eyes
to
mine
that
his
original
and
unscrupulous
genius
had
conceived
a
coup
d'état
of
some
kind
,
so
I
listened
curiously
.
"
I
am
going
to
stand
for
Shuffleborough
,
and
it
is
I
who
want
Sir
John
Stepton
's
vote
and
influence
,
"
he
announced
,
calmly
.
"
You
!
"
said
I
,
amazed
;
"
what
are
you
going
to
stand
as
?
and
who
is
going
to
pay
your
expenses
?
"
"
I
am
going
to
stand
as
an
extreme
Liberal
,
and
Bodwinkle
as
a
regular
old
Tory
.
He
is
going
to
pay
my
expenses
.
We
are
going
to
strike
out
an
entirely
new
line
,
and
have
convictions
.
He
ca
n't
come
the
Liberal
Conservative
this
time
,
as
one
of
the
Liberals
who
is
very
popular
has
gone
in
rather
extensively
for
the
Moderate
Conservatives
.
So
there
is
nothing
for
it
but
to
come
forward
as
an
out-and-out
Tory
,
and
put
me
up
as
a
Radical
;
by
these
means
we
hope
to
floor
both
the
fellows
that
are
trying
the
trimming
game
.
Of
course
I
am
not
intended
to
come
in
—
I
only
split
the
party
.
"
"
But
if
you
stand
,
one
of
the
others
will
retire
.
Look
at
what
has
just
happened
at
Westminster
.
"
"
Then
Bodwinkle
starts
his
wife
's
cousin
Tom
—
why
,
he
is
rich
enough
to
keep
all
three
Liberals
in
the
field
to
fight
him
if
necessary
;
and
you
are
pluck
to
the
backbone
,
aint
you
,
old
fellow
?
"
and
Spiffy
slapped
Bodwinkle
on
the
back
.
"
Perhaps
you
would
like
to
see
our
addresses
,
"
he
went
on
,
—
"
here
they
are
;
I
wrote
them
both
.
I
shall
issue
mine
first
,
and
Bodwinkle
's
a
day
or
two
after
.
"
"
May
I
take
them
home
to
read
?
"
I
asked
.
"
Oh
,
certainly
,
and
frame
your
own
on
their
model
if
you
like
,
"
said
Spiffy
,
laughing
;
"
they
'll
be
the
neatest
thing
out
in
addresses
,
I
assure
you
.
"
"
Mr
Goldtip
,
I
wish
you
would
exert
yourself
,
instead
of
talking
politics
with
Mr
B
.
,
"
said
Mrs
Bodwinkle
,
coming
up
;
"
there
are
all
sorts
of
things
to
arrange
,
and
I
am
sure
I
do
n't
know
who
is
to
take
who
down
to
supper
;
"
and
Spiffy
was
carried
away
upon
special
service
.
"
Good-night
,
Bodwinkle
,
"
said
I
;
"
your
ball
is
a
great
success
,
but
I
am
an
early
man
,
and
hot
rooms
do
n't
suit
me
.
I
understand
the
political
situation
thoroughly
now
,
and
without
pledging
myself
to
anything
,
will
see
what
is
to
be
done
.
"
"
Of
course
,
all
in
the
most
perfect
confidence
;
it
would
never
do
for
Stepton
to
suspect
what
we
were
at
.
"
"
Oh
,
it
would
be
absolute
ruin
.
There
is
just
one
question
I
should
like
to
ask
,
Can
you
give
me
your
solemn
word
that
in
all
this
you
have
no
other
motive
but
the
single
one
of
being
of
use
to
your
country
?
"
"
Eh
!
"
said
Bodwinkle
,
with
his
eyes
rather
wide
open
.
"
I
repeat
,
"
said
I
,
slowly
,
"
Is
your
only
object
in
getting
into
Parliament
that
you
may
be
of
use
to
the
country
?
or
is
it
that
the
country
may
be
of
use
to
you
?
"
"
I
must
ask
you
one
in
return
,
"
said
Bodwinkle
:
"
Will
it
depend
upon
my
answer
whether
or
not
you
exert
yourself
in
my
favour
?
"
"
Entirely
,
"
said
I
.
"
Then
,
my
dear
Lord
Frank
,
"
said
Bodwinkle
,
affectionately
grasping
my
hand
,
"
believe
me
,
that
so
far
as
I
am
concerned
,
and
I
can
say
the
same
for
Goldtip
,
our
only
single
desire
is
to
do
that
which
England
expects
of
every
man
at
such
a
crisis
,
—
our
duty
,
entirely
irrespective
of
all
personal
considerations
.
"
I
wrung
Bodwinkle
's
hand
warmly
(
I
could
have
crushed
every
bone
in
it
)
,
and
threw
an
expression
of
tender
interest
into
my
glance
as
I
said
,
"
I
wonder
,
Bodwinkle
,
how
many
candidates
are
actuated
by
these
lofty
views
in
the
coming
election
;
but
you
must
not
let
yourself
be
too
much
carried
away
by
your
Quixotic
convictions
.
Remember
,
my
friend
,
what
you
owe
to
your
party
.
"
"
I
never
forget
it
,
"
said
Bodwinkle
,
readily
.
"
I
have
four
things
to
consider
—
my
country
,
my
party
,
my
family
,
and
my
conscience
.
I
begin
by
asking
my
conscience
what
are
the
interests
of
my
country
.
My
conscience
replies
promptly
that
my
party
should
be
in
power
.
I
then
ask
my
conscience
what
are
the
interests
of
my
family
,
and
my
conscience
invariably
says
the
same
thing
.
I
then
ask
my
conscience
whether
it
has
any
political
views
of
its
own
,
and
my
conscience
responds
that
it
is
a
mercantile
conscience
,
which
has
always
been
absorbed
in
commerce
,
and
that
takes
no
interest
in
abstract
politics
;
so
that
practically
,
you
see
,
I
have
no
difficulty
,
so
far
as
my
conscience
is
concerned
.
"
"
Wog
is
right
,
"
I
mused
as
I
walked
home
—
"
postiche
is
everywhere
.
We
certainly
do
'
make
up
'
well
.
I
suppose
this
country
never
looked
more
fair
and
flourishing
in
the
eyes
of
the
world
in
general
than
it
does
at
this
moment
.
We
have
made
a
great
succès
by
means
of
postiche
—
there
is
no
denying
it
.
But
we
shall
fall
to
pieces
all
of
a
sudden
like
old
Lady
Pimlico
;
and
the
wrinkles
will
appear
before
long
in
the
national
cheeks
in
spite
of
the
rouge
.
Ah
,
the
taunts
we
shall
have
to
endure
when
the
postiche
is
discovered
,
from
the
rivals
that
have
always
been
jealous
and
are
still
under
the
prestige
of
our
former
charms
!
Then
the
kings
of
the
earth
with
whom
we
have
lived
delicately
will
turn
against
us
,
for
they
will
remember
our
greed
and
our
pride
and
our
egotism
,
in
the
days
when
we
sold
our
virtue
for
gold
,
and
our
honour
for
a
mess
of
pottage
.
Is
there
no
one
who
will
cry
aloud
in
the
streets
while
there
is
yet
time
?
—
will
there
not
be
one
man
in
these
coming
elections
who
will
have
the
courage
to
tell
the
people
that
their
senses
are
so
drugged
by
prosperity
that
they
are
blind
to
the
impending
doom
,
and
that
the
only
way
to
avert
it
will
be
by
a
policy
diametrically
opposed
to
that
which
has
fascinated
the
nation
for
the
last
few
years
,
because
it
has
conducted
them
so
pleasantly
along
those
smooth
and
flowery
paths
that
lead
to
destruction
?
Be
sure
,
oh
my
countrymen
,
that
for
you
collectively
,
as
well
as
individually
,
there
is
a
broad
and
a
narrow
way
,
and
that
as
surely
as
a
nation
ignores
its
duties
towards
God
and
its
obligations
towards
its
neighbours
,
so
surely
will
a
swift
judgment
overtake
it
!
"
I
was
interrupted
by
a
policeman
at
this
point
,
who
kindly
called
my
attention
to
the
fact
that
in
my
prophetic
fervour
I
had
myself
been
crying
aloud
in
the
streets
,
and
accompanying
my
denunciations
with
appropriate
action
.
"
I
will
throw
off
a
few
of
these
ideas
for
the
benefit
of
my
constituents
,
while
the
sacred
fire
is
still
upon
me
,
"
thought
I
,
as
I
stood
at
my
bay-window
,
and
watched
the
grey
dawn
of
the
June
morning
breaking
over
Green
Park
.
Sleep
at
such
a
moment
is
impossible
,
and
I
pulled
the
addresses
of
Spiffy
and
Bodwinkle
from
my
pocket
.
"
Gentlemen
,
"
says
Spiffy
to
the
independent
electors
of
Shuffleborough
,
"
in
soliciting
the
favour
of
your
suffrages
at
the
approaching
general
election
,
I
am
aware
that
I
labour
under
the
disadvantage
of
coming
before
you
as
an
untried
man
,
but
I
ask
you
all
the
more
confidently
on
this
account
to
substitute
me
for
one
who
has
been
tried
and
found
wanting
.
Still
more
painfully
conscious
am
I
of
the
fact
that
I
am
open
to
the
charge
of
causing
a
fatal
split
in
that
Liberal
party
to
which
I
have
the
honour
to
belong
.
Gentlemen
,
I
regret
to
say
that
in
some
instances
the
members
of
that
party
have
not
been
true
to
the
principles
which
they
profess
,
and
have
issued
addresses
almost
identical
in
the
terms
they
employ
and
in
the
measures
they
advocate
with
those
of
the
Liberal
Conservative
party
.
It
is
no
satisfaction
to
me
to
be
told
that
there
are
as
many
false
Conservatives
as
there
are
false
Liberals
.
As
a
friend
of
the
people
I
am
opposed
to
all
compromises
,
and
will
unflinchingly
expose
treachery
in
the
camp
.
You
will
find
that
my
political
views
are
clear
and
decided
.
"
Though
a
member
of
the
Church
of
England
,
I
am
in
favour
of
the
total
abolition
of
Church-rates
,
as
I
believe
that
you
will
spiritualise
the
Church
precisely
in
proportion
as
you
starve
it
.
"
I
am
in
favour
of
an
extension
of
the
franchise
to
such
an
extent
as
will
comprise
all
the
working-classes
,
and
thus
pave
the
way
to
that
universal
suffrage
in
which
I
myself
shall
be
included
,
and
for
the
first
time
enjoy
the
privilege
of
voting
.
"
Should
I
fail
to
be
returned
as
your
member
upon
this
occasion
,
I
shall
be
in
favour
of
a
redistribution
of
seats
.
"
I
believe
that
an
era
of
universal
peace
is
dawning
upon
the
world
,
and
I
am
therefore
an
advocate
of
the
total
suppression
of
our
armaments
both
by
sea
and
land
.
"
T
think
that
the
Christian
spirit
displayed
in
our
foreign
policy
which
has
induced
us
to
court
national
insult
for
the
purpose
of
setting
an
example
of
forbearance
,
and
which
has
enabled
us
humbly
but
surely
to
extend
our
commercial
relations
,
has
procured
for
us
the
highest
moral
position
which
has
ever
yet
been
accorded
to
a
people
.
To
increase
the
wealth
of
the
nation
and
to
foster
its
Christian
spirit
,
will
be
recognised
by
me
as
a
primary
duty
,
if
I
am
honoured
with
the
high
trust
of
being
your
representative
in
the
Commons
House
of
Parliament
.
"
Now
comes
Bodwinkle
's
address
,
written
by
the
versatile
author
of
the
last
:
—
"
Gentlemen
,
—
The
appearance
of
a
third
candidate
in
the
Liberal
interest
within
the
last
few
days
induces
me
to
break
the
silence
which
I
have
up
to
this
time
preserved
.
I
have
observed
with
pain
that
in
many
instances
the
addresses
issued
by
gentlemen
calling
themselves
Liberal
Conservatives
or
Conservative
Reformers
,
are
of
the
most
subversive
tendency
,
and
entirely
opposed
to
the
spirit
of
that
old
and
enlightened
party
to
which
I
have
the
honour
to
belong
.
I
repudiate
,
therefore
,
entirely
that
temporising
language
which
a
large
number
of
candidates
calling
themselves
Conservatives
hold
,
and
which
it
has
suited
one
of
my
opponents
,
who
calls
himself
a
Liberal
,
to
adopt
.
I
believe
I
shall
best
recommend
myself
to
this
constituency
by
an
honest
and
unswerving
advocacy
of
those
views
which
the
Tory
party
of
this
country
have
invariably
maintained
.
More
fondly
attached
,
if
possible
,
to
the
Church
of
England
than
I
was
upon
the
occasion
when
I
last
addressed
you
,
I
am
more
than
ever
convinced
that
money
is
the
only
thing
that
keeps
it
going
.
I
am
therefore
entirely
opposed
to
the
abolition
of
those
rates
which
form
the
foundation
of
that
pillar
upon
which
the
State
has
been
accustomed
securely
to
repose
.
"
I
am
opposed
to
the
enfranchisement
of
the
working
man
,
as
,
in
the
probable
event
of
a
combination
between
the
labouring
classes
and
the
aristocracy
,
that
middle
class
to
which
I
have
the
honour
to
belong
would
cease
to
direct
the
destinies
of
the
country
.
Any
lateral
measure
of
reform
,
unattended
,
however
,
by
a
vertical
movement
,
which
should
exclude
this
possibility
,
will
have
my
entire
concurrence
.
"
I
am
in
favour
of
a
measure
which
shall
largely
increase
the
armaments
of
the
country
,
and
at
the
same
time
reduce
the
cost
of
their
maintenance
.
"
I
have
profound
confidence
in
the
policy
of
the
great
Conservative
party
in
their
relations
with
foreign
nations
.
The
fact
that
they
have
hitherto
declined
to
define
what
that
policy
is
,
renders
it
impossible
for
me
to
enter
more
fully
into
this
subject
at
present
.
"
In
a
word
,
should
you
do
me
the
honour
to
return
me
as
your
member
,
you
will
find
me
Liberal
only
in
my
views
as
to
the
modes
in
which
money
may
be
acquired
,
and
Conservative
always
when
there
is
a
question
of
expenditure
.
"
It
is
a
grand
idea
but
a
great
experiment
this
of
having
convictions
,
which
Spiffy
has
just
started
,
thought
I
.
I
have
been
cursed
with
them
all
my
life
,
but
never
could
turn
them
to
account
.
Now
in
this
case
,
for
instance
,
he
is
using
convictions
—
postiche
convictions
certainly
—
to
get
Bodwinkle
into
Parliament
;
the
result
of
my
convictions
is
,
that
if
I
express
them
they
will
turn
me
out
.
A
prophet
is
without
honour
in
his
own
country
,
more
especially
when
the
whole
constituency
has
become
sceptical
and
apathetic
.
I
shall
issue
an
address
to
the
free
and
independent
electors
of
Dunderhead
.
And
under
the
inspiration
of
the
moment
I
wrote
as
follows
:
—
"
Piccadilly
,
June
20
,
1865
.
"
Gentlemen
,
—
In
announcing
my
intention
not
to
solicit
your
suffrages
at
the
approaching
general
election
,
I
feel
that
it
is
due
to
you
that
I
should
state
the
reason
why
I
do
not
again
seek
the
high
honour
which
you
have
upon
two
previous
occasions
conferred
upon
me
,
of
representing
you
in
Parliament
.
The
prosperity
of
the
country
is
now
so
great
that
I
feel
it
has
no
further
need
of
my
services
.
In
default
of
any
great
question
of
national
importance
,
the
rival
political
parties
are
reduced
to
the
lamentable
predicament
of
having
nothing
to
fight
for
except
office
.
As
I
have
never
taken
the
slightest
interest
in
the
fortunes
of
either
party
,
except
as
embodying
or
representing
the
triumph
of
certain
principles
,
the
disappearance
of
those
principles
,
and
the
difficulty
of
distinguishing
by
their
expressed
opinions
between
one
party
and
the
other
,
renders
it
quite
impossible
for
me
to
follow
the
example
of
the
candidates
on
both
sides
,
and
to
stand
upon
—
nothing
!
Gentlemen
,
I
have
no
doubt
that
before
very
long
something
will
turn
up
for
me
to
stand
upon
.
I
will
wait
till
then
.
Meantime
,
I
feel
that
to
profess
any
decided
convictions
upon
matters
either
of
home
or
foreign
politics
at
this
juncture
would
be
considered
in
bad
taste
,
if
not
impertinent
,
and
I
shall
therefore
reserve
whatever
I
have
to
say
for
a
future
occasion
,
when
the
exigencies
of
the
country
may
render
it
absolutely
necessary
that
some
individual
in
it
should
have
an
opinion
.
"
There
,
I
do
n't
think
I
need
say
anything
more
.
I
meant
to
have
written
these
Dunderheadians
something
that
would
have
made
them
remember
me
after
I
was
gone
;
but
I
am
getting
sleepy
,
and
they
would
not
have
understood
it
.
I
will
give
—
1000
to
be
applied
to
the
wants
of
the
municipality
instead
.
"
In
conclusion
,
"
I
went
on
,
"
I
beg
to
offer
a
tribute
to
the
only
article
of
political
faith
in
which
you
still
believe
,
and
to
place
—
1000
at
the
disposal
of
the
mayor
and
corporation
,
which
,
in
addition
to
the
money
spent
in
the
contest
that
my
retirement
will
render
inevitable
,
will
,
I
trust
,
not
only
be
of
substantial
service
to
the
borough
,
but
secure
my
re-election
upon
any
future
occasion
.
"
Frank
Vanecourt
.
"
Good-night
,
Dunderheadians
.
If
in
spite
of
this
you
send
me
a
requisition
to
stand
again
,
I
will
decline
on
a
ground
simple
enough
even
for
your
comprehension
—
It
is
too
hot
!
It
was
no
business
of
mine
,
after
the
explanation
which
I
had
had
with
Lady
Ursula
upon
the
subject
of
our
rumoured
engagement
,
to
revert
to
the
topic
with
any
of
her
family
.
If
Lady
Broadhem
was
dissatisfied
with
the
position
of
affairs
,
I
supposed
that
I
should
hear
of
it
quite
soon
enough
;
my
only
anxiety
was
about
Ursula
herself
.
I
trembled
for
her
domestic
peace
and
comfort
.
Broadhem
's
few
words
about
his
sister
's
happiness
under
the
altered
circumstances
were
very
significant
,
and
I
determined
therefore
to
get
her
ladyship
as
much
in
my
power
as
possible
,
by
exercising
to
its
utmost
extent
the
right
which
I
had
wrung
from
her
of
a
full
control
over
her
pecuniary
affairs
.
If
my
wealth
did
not
enable
me
to
purchase
my
own
happiness
,
it
should
at
least
enable
me
to
secure
the
happiness
of
her
whom
I
loved
best
in
the
world
.
I
had
never
wavered
in
my
resolution
somehow
or
other
to
effect
this
great
end
,
but
my
plans
must
of
necessity
undergo
some
change
now
that
Lady
Broadhem
's
eyes
were
opened
to
the
real
state
of
the
case
.
I
was
much
puzzled
what
to
do
about
Grandon
.
Sometimes
I
felt
a
yearning
to
take
him
fully
into
my
confidence
and
consult
with
him
upon
that
delicate
topic
which
touched
us
both
so
nearly
;
but
though
he
was
kind
and
considerate
as
ever
,
there
was
a
constraint
about
our
intercourse
of
which
we
were
both
painfully
conscious
.
We
avoided
all
allusion
to
the
Broadhems
,
and
he
never
called
in
Grosvenor
Square
,
nor
,
so
far
as
I
know
,
had
met
Lady
Ursula
since
the
memorable
dinner
which
had
terminated
so
disagreeably
for
us
all
.
Under
the
circumstances
,
I
had
also
thought
the
wisest
,
and
for
many
reasons
the
most
proper
,
course
for
me
was
,
to
abstain
from
going
there
until
I
should
hear
from
Lady
Broadhem
;
and
although
I
was
anxious
to
consult
her
upon
many
business
matters
,
I
preferred
letting
them
remain
in
abeyance
to
courting
an
interview
which
I
dreaded
.
At
last
I
began
to
think
Lady
Broadhem
's
silence
rather
ominous
.
I
felt
that
a
thunder-cloud
had
been
gathering
for
some
time
past
,
and
that
the
sooner
it
burst
the
better
.
I
occasionally
found
myself
walking
past
the
door
of
the
house
,
and
wondering
what
was
going
on
inside
it
.
I
felt
that
there
would
be
something
undignified
about
pumping
Broadhem
,
and
yet
every
time
I
met
him
I
experienced
an
irresistible
desire
to
do
so
.
At
last
one
day
he
volunteered
a
remark
,
from
which
I
gathered
that
he
was
as
anxious
for
information
as
I
was
.
"
Have
you
seen
my
mother
lately
?
"
he
began
.
"
Not
for
weeks
.
"
"
Do
you
know
she
is
carrying
on
a
lot
of
things
just
the
same
as
ever
?
"
"
I
do
n't
think
that
possible
,
"
I
said
;
"
she
could
do
nothing
without
my
knowledge
.
"
"
She
is
,
though
,
"
said
Broadhem
;
"
I
ca
n't
quite
make
out
what
is
going
on
,
because
,
you
know
,
she
never
condescends
to
discuss
her
affairs
with
any
of
us
;
but
I
feel
certain
there
is
some
new
scheme
afloat
.
"
"
Is
she
kind
to
your
sister
?
"
I
asked
.
"
She
is
neither
kind
nor
unkind
:
she
is
very
little
at
home
,
and
seems
to
have
lost
all
interest
in
her
own
family
.
She
wants
us
to
believe
that
it
is
the
heathen
;
but
I
must
say
that
she
never
used
to
neglect
her
daughters
for
them
,
and
always
said
,
what
so
many
good
people
forget
,
that
the
first
duty
of
a
Christian
woman
was
to
attend
to
her
own
family
.
I
am
getting
very
uneasy
,
"
said
Broadhem
,
with
a
sigh
;
"
I
feel
a
presentiment
that
there
is
some
sort
of
a
crash
coming
;
I
wish
you
would
go
and
see
her
.
"
"
I
did
not
intend
going
to
her
conversazione
next
week
,
but
as
she
has
sent
me
a
card
I
suppose
she
wants
to
see
me
.
I
will
come
and
hear
my
friend
Joseph
Caribbee
Islands
hold
forth
.
By
the
way
,
I
quite
forgot
I
promised
to
ask
Lady
Broadhem
for
a
card
for
Lady
Wylde
and
her
daughter
;
will
you
send
one
when
you
get
home
?
You
do
n't
know
Miss
Wylde
,
do
you
?
"
"
Yes
,
"
said
Broadhem
,
and
he
coloured
and
looked
away
;
"
I
have
just
met
her
,
and
that
is
all
.
Did
she
ask
you
for
the
invitation
?
"
"
What
!
you
have
met
her
,
and
she
did
not
tell
you
the
interest
she
takes
in
missions
?
I
see
you
are
half
converted
already
.
Take
care
,
Broadhem
;
you
are
no
great
catch
;
but
she
does
not
,
perhaps
,
exactly
know
that
,
and
all
is
fish
that
comes
to
her
net
.
Nevertheless
,
do
n't
forget
to
send
her
the
invitation
;
"
and
I
saw
the
flush
of
gratified
vanity
mount
to
the
brow
of
Broadhem
,
and
no
longer
wondered
why
Wild
Harrie
had
expressed
a
wish
to
make
Lady
Ursula
's
acquaintance
.
Poor
Ursula
!
what
Broadhem
had
said
about
his
mother
's
change
of
manner
decided
me
not
to
neglect
the
opportunity
which
presented
itself
of
going
to
her
"
meeting
,
"
and
coming
to
a
distinct
understanding
with
Lady
Broadhem
upon
the
present
position
of
affairs
.
I
had
no
doubt
that
that
veteran
campaigner
had
not
been
idle
;
and
I
was
afraid
,
under
the
circumstances
,
that
too
much
time
had
already
been
allowed
her
.
"
Do
you
think
Miss
Wylde
is
going
down
to
Ascot
?
"
asked
Broadhem
,
who
had
maintained
an
embarrassed
silence
during
this
interval
.
"
She
went
down
yesterday
with
the
Helters
;
she
stays
the
week
with
them
at
their
cottage
,
"
I
replied
.
"
I
have
never
been
to
Ascot
,
"
he
said
,
awkwardly
—
"
in
fact
I
never
saw
a
race
in
my
life
.
I
think
a
man
,
even
though
he
does
not
approve
of
racing
,
ought
to
have
seen
it
once
—
do
n't
you
?
"
"
Certainly
,
"
said
I
,
"
especially
when
you
can
see
Wild
Harrie
at
the
same
time
.
"
"
I
say
,
"
said
Broadhem
,
and
he
stopped
short
.
"
Well
?
"
"
I
wish
to
goodness
there
was
some
way
of
going
to
Ascot
without
being
seen
.
I
suppose
one
is
sure
to
come
across
a
lot
of
men
one
knows
.
"
"
Not
if
you
go
and
stay
with
the
clergyman
of
the
parish
,
"
I
said
.
"
I
do
n't
know
him
.
It
is
not
for
myself
,
but
I
do
n't
think
my
mother
would
like
my
going
.
"
"
Then
do
n't
go
.
"
"
What
an
unsatisfactory
fellow
you
are
!
I
shall
go
and
talk
over
the
matter
with
Ursula
—
she
always
helps
me
out
of
my
difficulties
.
"
"
What
does
she
know
about
Ascot
?
"
I
asked
.
"
Oh
,
she
does
not
know
about
Ascot
,
but
somehow
or
other
she
always
tells
me
what
is
the
best
thing
to
do
about
everything
.
"
"
I
suppose
,
then
,
you
tell
her
everything
?
"
"
Almost
,
"
he
said
.
"
Take
my
advice
,
and
make
a
clean
breast
of
it
,
my
dear
boy
;
"
and
I
felt
kindly
towards
him
for
the
way
he
spoke
about
his
sister
.
"
Depend
upon
it
,
no
half
confidences
do
in
such
a
case
.
Tell
her
that
I
shall
come
to
you
on
Thursday
of
next
week
;
"
and
I
pressed
his
hand
.
I
had
never
cared
about
him
for
his
own
sake
,
but
my
heart
warmed
towards
him
for
hers
.
PART
VI
.
THE
"
—
—
.
"
Piccadilly
,
July
1
.
I
am
now
about
to
venture
upon
the
very
thinnest
ice
upon
which
fool
ever
rushed
.
The
fact
is
,
I
am
morally
trembling
like
an
aspen
;
but
somebody
must
do
it
.
I
have
put
it
off
for
five
months
,
and
tried
to
work
up
my
courage
by
hammering
away
at
the
fashionable
world
,
but
they
take
it
like
lambs
.
Dear
people
,
whatever
their
vices
may
be
,
they
never
resent
criticism
.
Whether
their
consciences
tell
them
they
are
superior
to
it
,
or
whether
they
have
not
got
consciences
,
I
do
n't
know
,
but
,
on
the
whole
,
the
fashionable
world
is
an
easy
,
good-natured
world
;
but
oh
,
not
so
that
other
world
,
which
is
still
essentially
"
the
world
,
"
and
very
necessary
to
keep
unspotted
from
,
though
it
is
thankful
that
it
is
not
as
that
other
world
is
,
from
which
in
its
humility
it
takes
care
to
distinguish
itself
by
the
self-applied
epithet
of
"
religious
.
"
It
grieves
me
to
think
of
the
number
of
my
friends
whom
I
shall
pain
by
presuming
to
touch
upon
this
subject
,
to
say
nothing
of
the
righteous
indignation
I
shall
