Phineas Finn / The Irish Member

entford

led so far that Phineas, before he left the house, had promised to consider that suicidal expedient of the Chiltern Hundreds. What a by-word he would become if he were to give up Parliament, having sat there for about a week! But such immediate giving up was one of the necessities of Mr. Low's programme. According to Mr. Low's teaching, a single year passed amidst the miasma of the House of Commons would be altogether fatal to any chance of professional success. And Mr. Low had at any rate succeeded in making Phineas believe that he was ri

all be allowed to pass unquestioned. Then the leader of the House thanks his adversary for his consideration, explains to all men how happy the country ought to be that the Government has not fallen into the disgracefully incapable hands of his right honourable friend opposite; and after that the Address is carried amidst universal serenity. But such was not the order of the day on the present occasion. Mr. Mildmay, the veteran leader of the liberal side of the House, had moved an amendment to the Address, and had urged upon the House, in very strong language, the expediency of showing, at the very commencement of the session, that the country had returned to Parliament a strong majority determined not to put up with Conservative inactivity. "I conceive it to be my duty," Mr. Mildmay had said, "at once to assume that the country is unwilling that the right honourable gentlemen opposite should keep their seats on the bench upon which they sit, and in the performance of that duty I am called upon to divide the House upon the Address to her Majesty." And if Mr. Mi

er of Parliament only for ten days, surely it would be well that he should take advantage of the time to hear such a debate as this. It would be a thing to talk of to his children in twenty years' time, or to his grandchildren in fifty;-and it would be essentially necessary that he should

dy was in a hurry,-everybody was eager; and there was a common feeling that not a minute was to be lost. There were three ladies in the room,-Lady Laura, Miss Fitzgibbon, and Mrs. Bonteen. The latter was the wife of a gentleman who had been a junior Lord of the Admiralty in the late Government, and who lived in the expectation of filling, perhaps, some higher office in the Government which, as he hoped, was soon to

ow," said the Earl

kept you waitin

know why we are in such a hurry. And ho

I suppose,"

up, and young Rochester is at Vienna, and Gunning is sulking about something, and Moody has lost his

ve it," said L

e Carlton fellows,

Fitzgibbon, "I'd vote on such a question as this. St

se matters, is there not, Mr.

ong ago," said Miss Fitzgibbon. "It would be better that they

with Miss Fitzgibbon, Barrington Erle took Mr

as he passed through the drawing-room door. The remark seemed to hav

l," said Kennedy,

ometimes, I hop

," said Mr

that Lady Laura had said a few words to him. He was more determined than ever that he would hate Mr. Kennedy, and would probably have been moody and unhappy throughout the whole dinner had not Lady Laura called him to a chair at her le

t speak during the deb

ring, and, in the next place, I should not think of commencing on

n who will succeed with the House. What I dou

ight have t

, if you will allow me to say so, among the right set,-there can be no doubt that you may take office if y

to realise that al

nothing you may not reach in official life. But Pitt was Prime Minister at

affected me,

his legs in the House of Commons, in the same way as he would if he were talking to his own servants. He must keep his t

rally one or two men of

nt in him. He is not eloquent, nor, as far as I am aware, did he ever create anything. But he has al

ions which he has been called

ty opposite. A political leader is so sure of support and so sure of attack, that it is hardly necessary for him to be

dly then of politi

s than the defending of criminals. But all this is papa's wisdom, not mine. Papa h

gton Erle stoutly. He spoke so stoutly th

ty for such internecine war just

took office knowing that he was in a minority. We ha

must have been to go out

nd were bound to go out. For aught we knew, some score of them might have chosen to

,-hollow," said

Lord de Terr

uch a position," said Lord Brentford. "He must do

t him try it. We maintain that he had no chance, and that he must have known that he had none;-that if he could not get on with the late House, he certainly could not get on

e was right to dissol

him as quickly as we can. He practically lost n

ss Fitzgibbon. "The country at any

blows nobody any good,

Mr. Fitzgibbon. "I wonder whether any one knows

xplain that Mr. Roby was a Conservative gentleman of great fame who had for years acted as Whip under Mr. Daubeny, and who now filled the high office of Pa

share mine, for the sake of auld l

ot to be joked with. Upon my word I think they're right about old Moody. All private consi

defaulters, Barringt

is so bad with gout that he can't even bear any one to look at him, but Ratler says that h

retch!" said M

he screams in his parox

you'll take him into the

ss with a seat if he can't vote. But Sir Everard is a good man,

s far as he could see a majority of nineteen would be as serviceable as a majority of twenty. This he said in a very mild voice, and in a tone that was intended to be expressive of doubt; but in spite of hi

hem, let us beat the

oubt about it," sa

every man with a seat

tford. "It will kill him, no doubt

aid Barrington, in his eagerness omitt

uch a woman as Lady Laura could accept such a man as Mr. Kennedy because of his wealth, and because of his fine place,-a man who had not a word to throw to a dog, who did not seem to be possessed of an idea, who hardly looked like a gentleman;-so Phineas told himself. But in truth Mr. Kennedy, though he was a plain, unattractive man, with nothing in his personal appearance to call for remark, was not unlike a gentleman in his usual demeanour. Phineas himself, it may be here said, was six feet high, and very handsome, with bright blue eyes, and brown wavy hair, and light silken beard. Mrs. Low had told her husband more than once that he was much too handsome to do any good. Mr. Low, howeve

dining-room by calling him to the seat by her side, to the express exclusion of the millionaire, and she did i

club on Friday morning aft

do

nd what you think of Mr. Daubeny's speech. There'll be nothing do

inly I

ous about it, that I want to hear what different people say. You kn

e ind

and you'l

expect to hear much of an

o enthusiasm on any subject;-but he has opinions, and sound opinions too." Phineas felt that Lady Laura was in a slight degree scolding him for the disrespectful manner in

now him," said he, tryin

may some day, as he is one of those m

" said Phineas; "but if you wish i

are at the same time gentlemen. If it is so, I should be sorry that you should not be there. You need not mention it, but Mr. Kennedy has just said a word about it to papa, and a word from him always means so much! Well;-good-n

told him how anxious her father was to congratulate him on his seat, but the Earl had not spoken a word to him on the subject. The Earl had been courteous, as hosts customarily are, but had been in no way specially kind to him. And then Mr. Kennedy! As to going to Loughlinter, he would not do such a thing,-not though the success of the liberal party were to depend on it. He d

hink you're listening to me at

every word you s

the ould country again this

can I

e chance. What's the good of turning these fellows