THE NEW MINISTRY.
When the ex-Prime Minister was left by himself after the departure of his old friend his first feeling had been one of regret that he had been weak enough to doubt at all.He had long since made up his mind that after all that had passed he could not return to office as a subordinate.That feeling as to the impropriety of Caesar descending to serve under others which he had been foolish enough to express, had been strong with him from the very commencement of his Ministry.When first asked to take the place which he had filled the reason strong against it had been the conviction that it would probably exclude him from political work during the latter half of his life.The man who has written Q.C.
after his name, must abandon his practice behind the bar.As he then was, although he had already driven by the unhappy circumstance of his peerage from the House of Commons which he loved so well, there was still open to him many fields of political work.But if he should once consent to stand on the top rung of the ladder, he could not, he thought, take a lower place without degradation.Till he should have been placed quite at the top no shifting his place from this higher to that lower office would injure him in his own estimation.The exigencies of the service and not defeat would produce such changes as that.
But he could not go down from being Prime Minister and serve under some other chief without acknowledging himself to have been unfit for the place he had filled.Of all that he had quite assured himself.And yet he allowed the old Duke to talk him into a doubt!
As he sat considering the question he acknowledged that there might have been room for doubt, though in the present emergency there certainly was none.He could imagine circumstances in which the experience of an individual in some special branch of his country's service might be of paramount importance to the country as to make it incumbent on a man to sacrifice all personal feeling.But it was not so with him.There was nothing now which he could do, which another might not do as well.That blessed task of introducing decimals into all commercial relations of British life, which had once kept him aloft in the air, floating as upon eagle's wings, had been denied him.If ever done it must be done from the House of Commons, and the people of the country had become deaf to the charms of the great reform.Othello's occupation was, in truth, altogether gone, and there was no reason by which he could justify to himself the step down in the world which the old Duke had proposed to him.
Early on the following morning he left Carlton Terrace on foot and walked to Mr Monk's house, which was close to St James's Street.Here at eleven o'clock he found his late Chancellor of the Exchequer in that state of tedious agitation in which a man is kept who does not yet know whether he is or is not to be one of the actors in the play just about to be performed.The Duke had never before been in Mr Monk's very humble abode, and now caused some surprise.Mr Monk knew that he might probably be sent for, but had not expected any of the ex-Prime Ministers of the day would come to him.People had said that not improbably he himself might be the man,--but he himself had indulged in no such dream.Office had had no great charms for him;--and if there was one man of the late Government who could lay it down without personal regret, it was Mr Monk.'I wish you to come with me to the Duke's house in St James's Square,' said the late Prime Minister.'I think we shall find him at home.'
'Certainly I will come at this moment.' There was not a word spoken till the two men were in the street together.'Of course I am a little anxious,' said Mr Monk.'Have you anything to tell me before we get there?'
'You of course must return to office, Mr Monk.'
'With your Grace--I certainly will do so.'
'And without, if there be the need.They who are wanted should be forthcoming.But perhaps you will let me postpone what I have to say till we see the Duke.What a charming morning;--is it not? How sweet it would be down in the country.' March had gone out like a lamb, and even in London in the early April days were sweet--to be followed, no doubt, by the usual nipping inclemency of May.'I never can get over the feeling,' said the Duke, 'that Parliament should sit for the winter months, instead of in summer.If we met on the first of October, how glorious it would be to get away for the early spring!'
'Nothing less strong than grouse could break up Parliament,' said Mr Monk; 'and then what would the pheasants and foxes say?'
'It is giving almost too much for our amusements.I used to think that I should like to move for a return to the number of hunting and shooting gentlemen in both Houses.I believe it would be a small minority.'
'But their sons shoot, and their daughters hunt, and all their hangers-on would be against it.'
'Custom is against us, Mr Monk; that is it.Here we are.I hope my friend will not be out, looking up young Lords of the Treasury.' The Duke of St Bungay was not in search of cadets for the Government, but he was at this very moment closeted with Mr Gresham, and Mr Gresham's especial friend Lord Cantrip.He had been at this work so long and so constantly that his very servants had their ministerial-crisis manners and felt and enjoyed the importance of the occasion.The two newcomers were soon allowed to enter the august conclave, and the five great senators greeted each other cordially.'I hope we have not come inopportunely,' said the Duke of Omnium.Mr Gresham assured him almost with hilarity that nothing could be less inopportune;--and then the Duke was sure that Mr Gresham was to be the new Prime Minister, whoever might join him or whoever might refuse to do so.'I told my friend here,' continued our Duke, laying his hand upon the old man's arm, 'that I would give him his answer to a proposition he made with me within twenty-four hours.But Ifind that I can do so without that delay.'