The Duke's Children

tive Con

returned the Duke himself while he was a commoner, but they had returned him as being part and parcel of the Omnium appendages. That was all over now. As a constituency they were not endowed with advanced views, and thought that a Conservative would suit them best. That being so, and as they had been told that the Duke's son was a Conservative, they fancied that by electing him they would be pleasing everybody. But, in truth, by so doing they would by no means please the Duke. He had told them on previous occasions that they might elect whom they pleased, and felt no anger because they had elected a Conservative. They might send up to Parliament the most antediluvian old Tory they could find in England if they wished,

into some further corner of the world, he would stamp it out. But she, when this foolish passion of hers should have been thus stamped out, could never be the pure, the bright, the unsullied, unsoiled thing, of the possession of which he had thought so much. He had never spoken of his hopes about her even to his wife, but in the s

him with her early spring of love, as she had loved that poor ne'er-do-well? How infinite had been his regrets. How often had he told himself that, with all that Fortune had given him, still Fortune had been unjust to him because he had been robbed of that. Not to save his life could he have whispered a word of this to any one, but he had felt it. He had felt it for years. Dear as she had be

Had he not known from the first that the woman was an adventuress? And had he not declared to himself over and over again that between such a one and himself ther

adhering to the old family party, while his mind was entirely preoccupied with his daughter? It had suddenly become almost indifferent to him whether Silverbridge should be a Conservative or a Liberal. But as he dressed he told himself that, as a man, he ought to be able to do a pl

ages, and had been held to be serviceable rather than disgraceful, if conducted in a noble fashion. He did not credit Tifto with much nobility. He knew but little about the Major. He

sir. The Major would ask a cou

s a gre

ery useful man. He thoroug

doesn't l

it. That is, he has a gre

e, if he can afford the expense,-as you

g to sp

is mind to the matter discussed,-his mind being on other things. But when their breakfast was eaten, then it was necessary that he

course I have t

do as I wou

tical opinion is a kind of

itical opinion. You are still young, and I do not

eas. We've got to protect our position as well

ism or for revolution. But, putting all that aside for the present, do you think that a man's political opinions shoul

st," said the youn

y self-prote

lves, and we must look after ourselves. We are so few and

uld tend. The son listened to it with attention, and when it was over, expressed his opinion that there was a great deal in what his father had said. "I trust, if you will consider it," said the

elf a Liberal," said

y n

am a Cons

for the county on t

l them that I should always

efuse to do

me to grow a couple of inches taller I couldn't do it,

so much deference for his elders as to be in

s; of

ondition of the country is the one subject to

d, of course, I know how m

might go for so

at all only for that little. Still, you see

ight,-you, who have never given

it is because I know that, that I am a Conservative. The Radicals are always say

again to burst out in wrath and threaten the lad,-to threaten him as to money, as to his amusements, as to the general tenure of his life. The pity was so great that the lad should be so stubborn and so foolish! He would never ask his son to be a slave to the Liberal party, as he had been. But that a Palliser should not be a Liberal,-and his son, as the first recreant Palliser,-was wormwood to him! As he stood there he more than once clenched his

for Silverbridge?

you obje

e now still more difficult f

at I should not m

d. They will return a Co

care about," sai

but what would you have me do? I will give up Pa

o not wi

't have me

N

an I do

to learn from some ma

e so many

t ill-behaved young man who was with

n Frank

an Mr. T

of course he and I have been much tog

, he

in a voice that almost betrayed fear, for he kne

are the disgrace which had fallen upon himself and his family. As he did tell the story, both his face and his voice we

was something

encoura

I have told him that I was

id you not

was hardly my b

the honour o

many things have ha

t th

uttered a deep sigh and turned again round to the f

ld thin

soon as the husband's grief for the loss of his wife had been in some degree appeased, but he could not spea

wri

hink

n has kno

. Fi

e has known it

how it can h

t be an end of this. I will speak to your sister. In the meantime, the less, I think, you see of Mr. Tregear the better. Of course

nly," said