Exactly so. And now, my dear, everything is forgiven and shall be forgotten. Come and give me a kiss, and let me wish you joy. The diamonds are from the Marchioness, my dear, whose means, as you doubtless are aware, greatly exceed my own. The garnets are from me. I hope they may both be worn long and happily.


Of course I understand, and I know that the business which takes you up to London pleases you. Well; yes;--it does please me. I am glad,--I don't mind saying so to you. But it does not please me to think that I shall be away at your marriage. Pray make your father understand that it was absolutely unavoidable. But I shall see him, of course, when I come back. And I shall see you too before very long.


Shall you?


Oh yes.


And why so?


Because Mr. Grey must be at Silverbridge for his election.--But perhaps I ought not tell you his secrets. I got you these things because Grey likes china.


So do I like china,


I thought you would like them best,


I beg pardon. I was just one minute too soon; was I not?


She would have them sent here and unpacked, though I told her it was foolish.


Of course I would. Everything shall be unpacked and shown. It's easy to get somebody to pack them again. Upon my word, her ladyship's diamonds are not to be sneezed at,


I don't care for diamonds. To me they are just as good as the others,


To me they are not, then. Diamonds are diamonds, and garnets are garnets; and I am not so romantic but what I know the difference. Do you remember that night we were here?


When shall I forget it; or how is it possible that such a night should ever be forgotten?


No; I shall never forget it. Oh dear, what wonderful things have happened since that! Do you ever think of Jeffrey?


Yes;--of course I think of him. I did like him so much. I hope I shall see him some day.


And he liked you too, young woman; and, what was more, young woman, I thought at one time that, perhaps, you were going to like him in earnest.


Not in that way, certainly.


You've done much better, of course; especially as poor Jeffrey's chance of promotion doesn't look so good now. If I have a boy, I wonder whether he'll hate me?


Why should he hate you?


I can't help it, you know, if he does. Only think what it is to Plantagenet. Have you seen the difference it makes in him already?


Of course it makes a difference;--the greatest difference in the world.


And think what it will be to me, Alice. I used to lie in bed and wish myself dead, and make up my mind to drown myself,--if I could only dare. I shan't think any more of that poor fellow now. Poor fellow! Nothing on earth will ever put him out, so you need not try, my dear,


I know that, and therefore I shall never try.


There will be no vacancy either in the county or in the borough till Parliament meets.


You can go to Rome and see everything and enjoy yourself, which I was not allowed to do; and all this noise and bother, and crowd of electioneering, will take place down in Barsetshire just when I am in the middle of all my trouble. He comes and bends over me on the sofa in the most stupendous way, as though a woman to be the mother of his heir must be a miracle in nature. He is quite awful when he says a word or two, and more awful in his silence. The devil prompted me the other day, and I said I hoped it would be a girl. There was a look came over his face which nearly frightened me. If it should be, I believe he will turn me out of the house; but how can I help it? I wish you were going to have a baby at the same time. Then, if yours was a boy and mine a girl, we'd make a change.


Oh, I do so wish he would have a fit of the gout in London,--or at Timbuctoo,


The Duke has got an heir, born this morning!


Thank God! Lady Glencora and the boy Lady Glencora and the boy are quite as well as can be expected. Both the new writs were moved for last night.


It is such a comfort that it is over,


You are the most ungrateful of women.


Oh, Alice,--if you could have known! Your baby may come just as it pleases. You won't lie awake trembling how on earth you will bear your disgrace if one of the vile weaker sex should come to disturb the hopes of your lords and masters;--for I had two, which made it so much more terrible.


I'm sure Mr. Palliser would not have said a word.


No, he would have said nothing,--nor would the Duke. The Duke would simply have gone away instantly, and never have seen me again till the next chance comes,--if it ever does come. And Mr. Palliser would have been as gentle as a dove;--much more gentle than he is now, for men are rarely gentle in their triumph. But I should have known what they both thought and felt.


It's all right now, dear.


Yes, my bonny boy,--you have made it all right for me;--have you not? You have made everything right, my little man. But oh, Alice, if you had seen the Duke's long face through those three days; if you had heard the tones of the people's voices as they whispered about me; if you had encountered the oppressive cheerfulness of those two London doctors,--doctors are such bad actors,--you would have thought it impossible for any woman to live throughout. There's one comfort;--if my mannikin lives, I can't have another eldest. He looks like living;--don't he, Alice?


What an immense place!


Is it not? And it cost--oh, I can't tell you how much it cost. A hundred thousand pounds or more. Well;--that would be nothing, as the Duke no doubt had the money in his pocket to do what he liked with at the time. But the joke is, nobody ever thinks of living here. Who'd live in such a great, overgrown place such as this, if they could get a comfortable house like Matching? Do you remember Longroyston and the hot-water pipes? I always think of the poor Duchess when I come through here. Nobody ever lives here, or ever will. The Duke comes for one week in the year, and Plantagenet says he hates to do that. As for me, nothing on earth shall ever make me live here. I was completely in their power and couldn't help their bringing me here the other day;--because I had, as it were, disgraced myself.


How disgraced yourself?


In being so long, you know, before that gentleman was born. But they shan't play me the same trick again. I shall dare to assert myself, now. Come,--we must go away. There are some of the British public come to see one of the British sights. That's another pleasure here. One has to run about to avoid being caught by the visitors. The housekeeper tells me they always grumble because they are not allowed to go into my little room up-stairs.


I hope you'll like it,


I shall never like it as you do,


And why not;--why not?


In the first place, I have not begun it so young.


Any time before thirty-five is young enough.


For useful work, yes,--but hardly for enjoyment in the thing. And then I don't believe it all as you do. To you the British House of Commons is everything.


Yes;--everything, everything, everything. That and the Constitution are everything.


It is not so to me.


Ah, but it will be. If you really take to the work, and put yourself into harness, it will be so. You'll get to feel it as I do. The man who is counted by his colleagues as number one on the Treasury Bench in the English House of Commons, is the first of living men. That's my opinion. I don't know that I ever said it before; but that's my opinion.


And who is the second;--the purse-bearer to this great man?


I say nothing about the second. I don't know that there is any second. I wonder how we shall find Lady Glencora and the boy.


And you are a Member of Parliament?


They tell me so, but I don't know whether I actually am one till I've taken the oaths.


I am so happy. There's no position in the world so glorious!


It's a pity you are not Mr. Palliser's wife. That's just what he has been saying.


Oh, John, I am so happy. It is so much more than I have deserved. I hope,--that is, I sometimes think--


Think what, dearest?


I hope nothing that I have ever said has driven you to it.


I'd do more than that, dear, to make you happy, more than that, at least if it were in my power.