word, I determined to attack Broughton in the vindication of Anstruther.

I rosé accordingly, upon that personage being obliged to give way to the clamour of his enemies. I spoke in nearly the following terms:

"No man, Sir, can be more averse than myself to the practice of diverging from the question before the House to personal topics, and I am glad to find so strong a determination to put a stop to it. At the same time, I think, no gentleman will deny that there are occasions upon which the breach of order may be unavoidable, and even more expedient than the observance of it. Now, though the present instance cannot be said to be one of the exceptions to which I have alluded, yet, considering that the irregularity originated with no less a person than the organ of government in this House, and that the individual whom he went out of his way to attack with the most derisive taunts was one of its most distinguished members, I do think that the House has taken advantage of a rather unfortunate opportunity to assert, for the first time, its determination of enforcing a strict adherence to its rules. It did seem to me rather invidious not to permit my Right Honourable friend to defend himself from such dangerous insinuations.

"But, Sir, since it was the pleasure of the House to refuse the defence of my Right Honourable friend, who could have best vindicated himself, I was happy to see my Honourable and learned friend below me upon his legs, because I knew that he could not have an abler advocate. Great, however, has been my surprise and disappointment at that Honourable member's speech. When he put himself forward in behalf of his Right Honourable friend, I expected to have witnessed the exertion of those powers which he is known to possess, and of which the present was surely an occasion worthy. But most unaccountably, by his feeble advocacy he has not only injured the cause he undertook, but has, although doubtless unconsciously, added to and encouraged the insinuations of the Right Honourable Secretary. I will put it to any gentleman present, whether such has not been the impression produced on his mind by the Honourable and learned member's speech? I of course firmly believe it to be inadvertent and unintentional; but there are many who, not being favourably disposed to either, may put a construction upon this languid vindication equally discreditable to the client and the advocate; and it is to obviate this interpretation that I have intruded myself upon the attention of the House."

I then proceeded, in the best manner I could, to defend Anstruther, and reflect upon Broughton, darkly hinting at the underplot which I believed to be in agitation. When I sat down I was partially but vehemently cheered. Lessingham, when

he perceived the extraordinary course which I was taking, turned round, (I was standing just behind him,) stared in my face with the most unaffected surprise, and whispered, "Are you mad?" Singleton, shortly after I had concluded, leaned over to me, and said:

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My dear fellow, I congratulate you on having effectually done your business. I never saw a man, except in a hell, ruin himself more completely in the short space of half an hour.”

None of the succeeding speakers made the slightest allusion to what I had said, or the subject of my comments. At a late hour, as there appeared to be a considerable number of members charged with speeches, motion was made and carried to adjourn the debate to Monday.

CHAPTER XXXII.

MR. ANSTRUTHER's speech was, I think, too evidently a pilotballoon, ventured to ascertain how the wind sat with respect to him in the Government quarter, and whether it would be at all possible to return thither.

Deveril's reply was likewise an obvious exposition of his feelings, which must have been very strong to betray him into a tone of contumelious asperity toward Anstruther, for whom it is impossible that he, or any other man, could have experi enced any sentiment partaking of contempt. Deveril, though a young man, was a cool, clever, long-headed fellow, and never indulged in a gratuitous expenditure of wit, words, or opinions; but the fact is, he knew that if Anstruther were to return to the Tory party, he should be obliged to yield the high station which he at present occupied to a superior, by whose secession alone he had been elevated to it; he was therefore nervously apprehensive of any symptom which might indicate such a consummation, and hence his prompt and somewhat intemperate attack upon. Anstruther this evening.

Broughton's conduct was confirmatory of all my suspicions. It was clear that he was bent upon the ruin of Anstruther, who stood in the way of his ambition; and from some expressions which he let fall, but which I have not quoted, importing that he was determined to perform what he conceived to be his public duty, however malice and interest might misrepresent his motives; the inference was probable that he was labouring to open a door of escape for himself from the Whig party. It will be in the recollection of the reader that he had lately studiously affected moderate, temporizing, and patriotic language. That it was all over with Anstruther, there could be no doubt. The Whigs in Broughton's interest of course combined with

him in what was now one of his favourite objects. The general body, however well inclined to support their illustrious ally, having been decidedly informed that they would thereby affront him to whom they conceived themselves bound in honour and gratitude, were obliged to withhold their countenance. The Tories, whò, ever since he had quitted them, had been gloating and expressing their rage at him in every form, as soon as they found him abandoned by the Whigs, would rush upon and sacrifice him to their revenge. He had only a few personal friends, who could do nothing for him. For my own part, I determined immediately to rank myself among these, proud to involve my political fate in that of one, in every sense of the word, so great a person.

Such was the state of persons at this crisis.

Early on Saturday—indeed while I was breakfasting-Mr. Palmer was announced. He greeted me with an extraordinary cordiality; for, though I was well acquainted, I was not on an intimate footing with this truly noble-minded man of our party.

"I am happy to see you here," said I; "for it would have grieved me had you been included in the majority whom I must have offended by the line of conduct which I saw fit to adoptlast night."

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I hope you do not repent it?" interrupted Palmer.

"So far from repenting, I reflect upon what I have done with a satisfaction which is checked only by a slight doubt lest the promptitude of my zeal should have been premature and prejudicial to the cause of the noble individual whom I wished to serve.'

"Make yourself easy upon that point," answered Palmer; "the indiscretion of his real friends cannot now, I am sorry to say, accelerate or render more certain the ruin which has been brought upon him by the machinations of his pretended ones. You have made a most generous sacrifice of yourself, Sydenham, and the best proof I can give you of my admiration of it is, that I have already followed your example, and avowedly espoused the cause of Anstruther. I only regret that you should have been beforehand with me; nothing should have prevented me from being explicit the other day at Torkington House but the hope that a compromise might yet be brought about between him and Broughton. I should, however, have seen the impossibility of that; and if two or three of us had then made a bold and decided remonstrance in favour of Anstruther, he might have been saved."

I thought otherwise. It was even then too late; for if the communication with a third party, which I believed to have taken place, had not already terminated in a compact, it had been doubtless opened, and its conclusion was delayed only

until Anstruther's views were fully ascertained. I have no doubt, indeed, that the plot originated in Broughton's jealousy of his distinguished coadjutor.

"Have you heard or seen anything of Anstruther since he left the House last night?" inquired I: "I am very anxious to know what are his feelings and intentions."

"I called in Whitehall-place immediately after the House. I found Anstruther at home. You know how intimate we have been all our lives; therefore he never thought of disguising his emotions from me. I never before saw him so violently affected. The indignant treatment which he had met with from that House over which he had not long since reigned supreme -the utter annihilation of his hopes-the savage exultation of his enemies, many of whom, compared with himself, were base and contemptible. These reflections, rushing at once upon him, raised his impetuous passions to such a pitch, as to be wholly ungovernable by his reason. He could only utter incoherent denunciations about the treachery of Broughtonthe fiercest scorn of his reptile opponents, while he felt their stings in his very soul-and occasional exclamations, betraying the agony which he felt at the prospect of his ruined fortunes. In short, I found him in a state of mind which precluded the possibility of consulting with him upon any plan of conduct; but in an interval of calm, I told him how you had stood up in his defence, and what an admirable castigation you had given Broughton. At this intelligence, a gleam of joy irradiated his tempestuous countenance, and for several minutes his griefs were absorbed in his sympathy for an action so consonant to his own generous nature. 'How noble and disinterested!' cried he―these were exactly his words, for I hardly knew him; and to speak a word in my favour was, in his situation, to share my destruction. But why did he sacrifice the prospects which his talents opened to him, to an useless indulgence of magnanimity? He must be a glorious fellow!' I assure you the tears dropped from his eyes as he spoke thus, and after a short pause, he added, I never thought that I should be placed under an obligation to any human being, but I shall be eager to express the warmest gratitude to this admirable_young

man.

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"Such high praise from such a quarter,” said I, “is a sufficient recompense for any sacrifice which I may have made to deserve it; but I must not claim more than I merit. There were considerations which might have mingled with, and alloyed the pure motives which induced me to defend Mr. Anstruther from the indignity and injustice to which he was subjected."

I then recounted to Palmer my observations and suspicions with respect to Broughton's conduct, the effect of which, I

thought, would be to dissipate the Whig party. He was amazed and incredulous of such a design as that to which I had pointed.

"I think," said he, "you must be mistaken, and that you have misconstrued circumstances, which, though they may have rather a doubtful appearance, should not be taken to support an opinion which does not seem to have been originally well-founded. If such an intrigue had been going on, is it likely it could have been so carefully concealed, as that no suspicion should be excited? That Broughton is much attached to his own interest, I certainly believe; but I have no reason to think he is exclusively devoted to it, or that he would promote it by any act so dishonourable."

"Such things have been done,” answered I, "and, after all, it would be an act only of political dishonesty, which, you know, is as distinct a matter from moral baseness, as a Bristol diamond is from a real brilliant."

"I know not any such distinction," returned Palmer, with slight displeasure; " and pardon me, Sydenham, but I do think you are rather illiberal in your estimate of Broughton's character and conduct."

"I should be sorry," said I, "to calumniate Mr. Broughton, against whom I have no personal enmity; but still I cannot help retaining my suspicions, the correctness of which must be proved in a few days. Perhaps I ought not to have mentioned them to you, for if they should turn out to be well-founded, it would be too late now to benefit by their disclosure, and if they should prove erroneous, they may seem invidious."

"I assure you," answered Palmer, "I am far from believing that you were actuated at all by private feelings toward Broughton in your defence of Anstruther; and so highly do I esteem your acuteness and penetration, that I shall henceforth keep a sharp look-out upon the former.”

He then dropped the subject, and shortly after took his leave.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

ALL the circumstances which conspired to induce me to rise in vindication of Anstruther are known to the gracious reader, but it is possible that he may attach a greater force to the bymotives than that with which they really actuated me. My affections, although too sluggish to exert themselves upon common occasions, yet, like Le Noir Faineant in Ivanhoe, when they met with an occasion worthy of their developement, were, like the exploits of that personage, more powerful and energetic