"Are you going down to the house, Egerton?" enquired Mr Berners atBrookes, of a brother M.P., about four o'clock in the early part of thespring of 1839.
"The moment I have sealed this letter; we will walk down together, ifyou like!" and in a few minutes they left the club.
"Our fellows are in a sort of fright about this Jamaica bill," said MrEgerton in an undertone, as if he were afraid a passer-by might overhearhim. "Don't say anything about it, but there's a screw loose."
"The deuce! But how do you mean?"
"They say the Rads are going to throw us over."
"Talk, talk. They have threatened this half-a-dozen times. Smoke, sir;it will end in smoke."
"I hope it may; but I know, in great confidence mind you, that Lord Johnwas saying something about it yesterday."
"That may be; I believe our fellows are heartily sick of the business,and perhaps would be glad of an excuse to break up the government: butwe must not have Peel in; nothing could prevent a dissolution."
"Their fellows go about and say that Peel would not dissolve if he camein."
"Trust him!"
"He has had enough of dissolutions they say."
"Why, after all they have not done him much harm. Even --34 was a hit."
"Whoever dissolves," said Mr Egerton, "I don't think there will be muchof a majority either way in our time."
"We have seen strange things," said Mr Berners.
"They never would think of breaking up the government without makingtheir peers," said Mr Egerton.
"The Queen is not over partial to making more peers; and when partiesare in the present state of equality, the Sovereign is no longer a merepageant."
"They say her Majesty is more touched about these affairs of theChartists than anything else," said Mr Egerton.
"They are rather queer; but for my part I have no serious fears of aJacquerie."
"Not if it comes to an outbreak; but a passive resistance Jacquerie isaltogether a different thing. When we see a regular Convention assembledin London and holding its daily meetings in Palace Yard; and ageneral inclination evinced throughout the country to refrain from theconsumption of exciseable articles, I cannot help thinking that affairsare more serious than you imagine. I know the government are all on the'qui vive.'"
"Just the fellows we wanted!" exclaimed Lord Fitz-Heron, who was leaningon the arm of Lord Milford, and who met Mr Egerton and his friend inPall Mall.
"We want a brace of pairs," said Lord Milford. "Will you two fellowspair?"
"I must go down," said Mr Egerton "but I will pair from halfpast sevento eleven."
"I just paired with Ormsby at White's," said Berners; "not half an hourago. We are both going to dine at Eskdale's, and so it was arranged.Have you any news to-day?"
"Nothing; except that they say that Alfred Mountchesney is going tomarry Lady Joan Fitz-Warene," said Lord Milford.
"She has been given to so many," said Mr Egerton.
"It is always so with these great heiresses," said his companion. "Theynever marry. They cannot bear the thought of sharing their money. I betLady Joan will turn out another specimen of the TABITHA CROESUS."
"Well, put down our pair, Egerton," said Lord Fitz-Heron. "You do notdine at Sidonia's by any chance?"
"Would that I did! You will have the best dishes and the best guests. Ifeed at old Malton's; perhaps a tete a tete: Scotch broth, and to tellhim the news!"
"There is nothing like being a dutiful nephew, particularly when one'suncle is a bachelor and has twenty thousand a-year," said Lord Milford."Au revoir! I suppose there will be no division to-night."
"No chance."
Egerton and Berners walked on a little further. As they came to theGolden Ball, a lady quitting the shop was just about to get into hercarriage; she stopped as she recognized them. It was Lady Firebrace.
"Ah! Mr Berners, how d'ye do? You were just the person I wanted to see!How is Lady Augusta, Mr Egerton? You have no idea, Mr Berners, how Ihave been fighting your battles!"
"Really, Lady Firebrace," said Mr Berners rather uneasy, for hehad perhaps like most of us a peculiar dislike to being attacked orcheapened. "You are too good."
"Oh! I don't care what a person's politics are!" exclaimed LadyFirebrace with an air of affectionate devotion. "I should be very gladindeed to see you one of us. You know your father was! But if any oneis my friend I never will hear him attacked behind his back withoutfighting his battles; and I certainly did fight yours last night."
"Pray tell me where it was?"
"Lady Crumbleford--"
"Confound Lady Crumbleford!" said Mr Berners indignant but a littlerelieved.
"No, no; Lady Crumbleford told Lady Alicia Severn."
"Yes, yes," said Berners, a little pale, for he was touched.
"But I cannot stop," said Lady Firebrace. "I must be with Lady StJulians exactly at a quarter past four;" and she sprang into hercarriage.
"I would sooner meet any woman in London than Lady Firebrace," said MrBerners; "she makes me uneasy for the day: she contrives to convinceme that the whole world are employed behind my back in abusing orridiculing me."
"It is her way," said Egerton "she proves her zeal by showing you thatyou are odious. It is very successful with people of weak nerves. Scaredat their general unpopularity, they seek refuge with the very personwho at the same time assures them of their odium and alone believes itunjust. She rules that poor old goose, Lady Gramshawe, who feels thatLady Firebrace makes her life miserable, but is convinced that if shebreak with the torturer, she loses her only friend."
"There goes a man who is as much altered as any fellow of our time."
"Not in his looks; I was thinking the other night that he wasbetter-looking than ever."
"Oh! no; not in his looks; but in his life. I was at Christchurch withhim, and we entered the world about the same time. I was rather beforehim. He did everything; and did it well. And now one never sees him,except at the House. He goes nowhere; and they tell me he is a regularreading man."
"Do you think he looks to office?"
"He does not put himself forward."
"He attends; and his brother will always be able to get anything forhim," said Egerton.
"Oh! he and Marney never speak; they hate each other."
"By Jove! However there is his mother; with this marriage of hers andDeloraine House, she will be their grandest dame."
"She is the only good woman the tories have: I think their others dothem harm, from Lady St Julians down to your friend Lady Firebrace.I wish Lady Deloraine were with us. She keeps their men togetherwonderfully; makes her house agreeable; and then her manner--itcertainly is perfect; natural, and yet refined."
"Lady Mina Blake has an idea that far from looking to office, Egremont'sheart is faintly with his party; and that if it were not for theMarchioness--"
"We might gain him, eh?"
"Hem; I hardly know that: he has got crotchets about the people I amtold."
"What, the ballot and household suffrage?"
"Gad, I believe it is quite a different sort of a thing. I do not knowwhat it is exactly; but I understand he is crotchetty."
"Well, that will not do for Peel. He does not like crotchetty men. Doyou see that, Egerton?"
At this moment, Mr Egerton and his friend were about to step over fromTrafalgar square to Charing Cross. They observed the carriages of LadySt Julians and the Marchioness of Deloraine drawn up side by side inthe middle of the street, and those two eminent stateswomen in earnestconversation. Egerton and Berners bowed and smiled, but could not hearthe brief but not uninteresting words that have nevertheless reached us.
"I give them eleven," said Lady St Julians.
"Well, Charles tells me," said Lady Deloraine, "that Sir Thomas saysso, and he certainly is generally right; but it is not Charles' ownopinion."
"Sir Thomas, I know, gives them eleven," said Lady St Julians; "and thatwould satisfy me; and we will say eleven. But I have a list here," andshe slightly
elevated her brow, and then glanced at Lady Deloraine witha piquant air, "which proves that they cannot have more than nine; butthis is in the greatest confidence: of course between us there can beno secrets. It is Mr Tadpole's list; nobody has seen it but me; not evenSir Robert. Lord Grubminster has had a stroke: they are concealingit, but Mr Tadpole has found it out. They wanted to pair him off withColonel Fantomme, who they think is dying: but Mr Tadpole has got aMesmerist who has done wonders for him, and who has guaranteed that heshall vote. Well, that makes a difference of one."
"And then Sir Henry Churton--"
"Oh! you know it," said Lady St Julians, looking slightly mortified."Yes: he votes with us."
Lady Deloraine shook her head. "I think," she said, "I know the originof that report. Quite a mistake. He is in a bad humour, has been so thewhole session, and he was at Lady Alice Fermyne's, and did say allsorts of things. All that is true. But he told Charles this morning on acommittee, that he should vote with the Government."
"Stupid man!" exclaimed Lady St Julians; "I never could bear him. AndI have sent his vulgar wife and great staring daughter a card for nextWednesday! Well, I hope affairs will soon be brought to a crisis, for Ido not think I can bear much longer this life of perpetual sacrifice,"added Lady St Julians a little out of temper, both because she had losta vote and found her friend and rival better informed than herself.
"There is no chance of a division to-night," said Lady Deloraine.
"That is settled," said Lady St Julians. "Adieu, my dear friend. Wemeet, I believe, at dinner?"
"Plotting," said Mr Egerton to Mr Berners, as they passed the greatladies.
"The only consolation one has," said Berners, "is, that if they do turnus out, Lady Deloraine and Lady St Julians must quarrel, for they bothwant the same thing."
"Lady Deloraine will have it," said Egerton.
Here they picked up Mr Jermyn, a young tory M.P., who perhaps the readermay remember at Mowbray Castle; and they walked on together, Egerton andBerners trying to pump him as to the expectations of his friends.
"How will Trodgits go?" said Egerton.
"I think Trodgits will stay away," said Jermyn.
"Who do you give that new man to--that north-country boroughfellow;--what's his name?" said Berners.
"Blugsby! Oh, Blugsby dined with Peel," said Jermyn.
"Our fellows say dinners are no good," said Egerton "and they certainlyare a cursed bore: but you may depend upon it they do for the burgesses.We don't dine our men half enough. Now Blugsby was just the sort offellow to be caught by dining with Peel: and I dare say they made Peelremember to take wine with him. We got Melbourne to give a grand feedthe other day to some of our men who want attention they say, and hedid not take wine with a single guest. He forgot. I wonder what they aredoing at the House! Here's Spencer May, he will tell us. Well, what isgoing on?"
"WISHY is up, and WASHY follows."
"No division, of course?"
"Not a chance; a regular covey ready on both sides."
Book 4 Chapter 2