They would have found in the end that the honourable and generous course was the most politic."

"This will never do," whispered Palmer to me; "he will work himself into a delirium if he goes on thus. My dear Anstruther, you know that your health is too precarious to admit of your entering into public business at present, and you have been told how esential it is that you should not now distract your mind by such thoughts. Leave ambition, therefore, for a time, and retire with me into the country. Sydenham will join us, and our friend C- (mentioning an author, whose fame had filled the world) "has promised me. We four shall make a delightful society, and our days shall pass in philosophical happiness."

"It is too late," said Anstruther, "to amuse me now with such delusive representations. Philosophy is a fallacious resource of disappointed hope. In the passion of the moment you may retreat from the scene of your discomfiture, convinced of the futility of all worldly things, and resolved to pass the remainder of your life undisturbed by the convulsions of ambition. But as soon as the bloom of novelty has worn away, and by the time you have collected from books the thousand maxims of morality, and it remains only to put them in practice, the evil spirit, as if to mock you, returns with augmented strength, and in spite of yourself drags you back again into the world of vicissitudes."

"I only ask," said Palmer, “a suspension; I neither wish nor expect an abandonment of politics."

"Abandonment!" cried Anstruther, bitterly; it is good for me to talk of abandoning politics whom politics have abandoned. But I will yield to your advice; I will quit this agitated scene for a season; only let me wait to see how it all ends, that if it should turn out as I suspect, I may, before I go, execute my revenge," and his brow darkened, and his eye flashed as he spoke "my great revenge, upon those who have conspired and accomplished my downfall. And they whom I visit shall carry the marks of my vengeance to the grave."

"This will ruin all," cried Palmer, with an exclamation of impatience; "for God's sake, Anstruther, be calm; do not give way to this violence, or it is impossible to say what will be the consequence. Your life, perhaps, depends upon your keeping your mind composed."

"You say true, dear Palmer,” replied the ruined statesman, sinking back upon his pillow. "Oh, this fiery thirst!"

Palmer handed him a drink, and at the same time motioned me to leave the room, lest the patient should be again tempted to talk..

CHAPTER XXXV.

AN expression which Anstruther significantly uttered, and which I have undermarked accordingly, in the last chapter, afforded me reason to believe that he entertained the same notions with myself, or others of the like kind, with respect to the designs of a portion of the Whig party. It was not to be expected, indeed, that my acuteness should perceive anything which the sagacity of that practised statesman had failed to penetrate. But such a corroboration confirmed my suspicions, if they had not already attained a character of certainty. Still, though convinced of the fact, I could not divine the particulars of the transaction; and I eagerly expected the time when my curiosity should be satisfied. The time arrived sooner even than I had calculated.

I spent Sunday with Auriol. Between three and four o'clock on Monday I went over to the House to ticket a seat for the adjourned debate. There I found an unexpected scene of confusion. The coffee-rooms and passages were crowded with members gathered together in knots, and talking in loud and earnest voices. I inquired of the first party which I approached what was the matter.

"Haven't you heard?" cried several; "the ministers are out."

"Indeed! when did they resign? and who's been sent for ?". "Their resignations are to be announced this evening; and who do you think is to be the new prime?"

"I can't form a guess."

"Tewkesbury!"

"The devil he is! This intelligence does not surprise me." "Then you are an exception to the generality." "But who are to come in with Tewkesbury?"

"Ay, there's the question which is setting afloat as many opinions as there are men. It is reported that Broughton, Singleton, Lessingham, and Chepstow take office, which every body declares to be incredible, but which none absolutely disbel eves. The Whigs are all in a prodigious fright, I can tell you, at the idea of being stranded. If it should be true, you, especially, and poor Anstruther, are double-damned. How regularly outwitted all you knowing ones will be; I shall enjoy your confusion amazingly."

Leaving this informant, an idle young lord who had usually voted with Anstruther when he was in office, I moved on in quest of some person who could give me more particular intelligence. I drew near a bevy of Whigs, and one of them, who had almost cut me at Brookes's on Saturday, now seized me by the arm, and in his alarm forgetting his coldness, exclaimed,

"Well, Sydenham, what do you think of this damned business ?"""

"Then it is true," said I, "that Broughton has coalesced with Lord Tewkesbury."

"I hope not, as much for his own sake as for that of us all; but it must be owned that there are very plausible grounds of suspicion. He was called repeatedly out of court on Saturday; he has not been at Brookes's since Friday, and he is not to be found either in court or at his own house to-day. I am told likewise, that his secretary, who is a cunning cur as ever lived, (by the by, I believe you know something of him,) has lately been often seen coming out of Tewkesbury-house. However, I can't think that Broughton would play us such an infernal trick."

"I suppose you have heard also that Chepstow and Lessingham and Singleton are associated with Broughton in this report? Why, such secessions will amount to an emascula

tion of the Whig body."

"Claverton, and Beaumaris, and Torkington," answered the member, "will never act under Tewkesbury; and the purest Whigs will always be found in a party of which they are the head."

"I suppose it will all come out this evening?" said I.

"It must, I should think; Deveril and Alcombe are to announce that they are no longer Ministers, and consequently, of course, an explanation will be made from some quarter or other with respect to the new arrangements."

Mr. Lindsay was now accosted by a brother Whig, who was eager to talk of the astonishing reports which were in circulation. As I was turning away I encountered Mr. Palmer.

"Well," cried he, "events do honour to your political acumen. I have just ascertained from good authority, that Broughton is really to be Tewkesbury's leader, and Lord Chepstow is to take a high station in the Household. Lessingham is to have a cabinet office, and Singleton a snug place, but not inside. I wish you had imparted to me some time ago your suspicions of the deep game that Broughton was playing."

"If I had," answered I, "it is most likely that you would have seen nothing in them but malignancy. When I disclosed them to you only forty-eight hours ago, you considered them invidious."

"You are right," said Palmer, "I was short-sighted and arrogant in blaming you; but how long have you entertained these suspicions? were they in existence before the meeting at Torkington-house?"

"They were," I replied, "and that meeting almost brought them to a state of maturity."

"Pshaw! how unfortunate! If we had laid our heads to

gether then, what might we not have done! We might have blown this plot of Broughton's, and been the making of An

struther."

"It is useless to think of that now. But how shall we break this business to him-I mean Anstruther! How do you suppose he will take it ?"

"I am afraid it will gall him severely. Tewkesbury and he hate each other; the former has been annoying him at every opportunity these ten years past, and now this triumph over his fallen adversary will touch Anstruther to the quick. We must endeavour to keep it from him-but no! that's impossible; we can communicate it to him in a few days, when, by remaining quiet, he may be better able to bear the intelligence than he is now. In the mean time, I must desire his servant to keep the papers out of his way, and then he can't learn it till we choose to tell him; for he sees nobody besides us, and the physician, and his servant."

"And now tell me," said I, "what do you think of these strange events?"

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Why," returned Mr. Palmer, "I think that if a set of men in private life had committed an act analogous to this political iniquity of Broughton and friends, they would have had a fair chance of the gallows."

"I agree with you," answered I; "and we may certainly give them a moral gibbeting, if we cannot a physical one. But what I intended to ask, was your opinion of a government with such a head as Tewkesbury, and such members as these powerful though renegade Whigs."

"Why, indeed, I have hardly time or patience yet to bestow a thought upon that point; but of one fact we may be pretty sure, namely, that is at the bottom of the business. Tewkesbury does nothing without his advice, and I should not wonder if the whole plan had been laid at V.

At this moment we heard the Speaker announced, and we immediately followed the throng of members who were crowding into the lobby.

The private business proceeded without interruption, but when the Speaker had nearly got through his list, Lord Alcombe entered the House, and rising, declared that he and his colleagues had ceased to be members of his Majesty's govern

ment.

Upon this a Tewkesbury member, the gentleman who had always been considered the principal agent of the Marquis in the Lower House, instantly rose and moved an adjournment to Wednesday. The House did not seem quite prepared for such a motion, and several members looked irresolute, but before either could make up his mind to speak, the question was put

and carried. Neither Broughton nor any other of the suspected Whigs were present; and they who did not belong to the conspiracy went away with indignant tongues and heavy hearts.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

LORD TEWKESBURY seemed to possess the characteristics which are scarcely less necessary for a statesman than for a general-decision in council and promptitude in execution. The principal appointments of his ministry were gazetted the next day. He himself First Lord of the Treasury: Bellisle, Broughton, and Lessingham, had cabinet offices. Broughton's post was evidently that of leader. Singleton and Lord Robert Lindsay were named to good places, but not ministerial ones. Lord Chepstow's acceptance of a high office in the Household was the only announcement in that department. Two cabinet, and some of the minor offices were filled up by select extracts from the Tory party. Altogether, the ministerial chart exhibited a powerful combination of parties and persons, which, controlled by such a leader as Tewkesbury, assisted by the prefound genius of his friend, the other side of the water, might be cemented into a government which would overbear all opposition, and maintain itself unimpaired until the decay of its elements, or the extinction of its master-spirit should cause it to fall to pieces. Little more than a glance at the plan sufficed to convince me of the durability of the structure; and statesmen of more experience than I could pretend to, coincided in this judgment. Palmer said that the new Gazette put an end to a thousand hopes, and was peremptorily the doom of Anstruther's political existence. I heard the venerable Torkington express the same opinion.

As it was unknown how many, or whether any of the Whigs besides those who had taken office, had engaged to support Lord Tewkesbury's Administration, it was determined to send round invitations to every member of the party, except the declared seceders, to attend a meeting at Claverton House on Wednesday, for the purpose of consulting what attitude the Whig body should assume in this new posture of affairs.

Accordingly, a decided-indeed a considerable majority of the old Opposition mustered next day at the Duke's; but still the contemners of the citations were numerous. They, however, who appeared, professed great zeal in the cause-expressed loud indignation against the deserters-declared that we ought to attack the new ministry vigorously;-but when a particular question of conduct arose, they were, as Whigs usually are upon such occasions, "at sea." At length, after much useless

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