her light shawl round the invalid s shoulders and slipped away into the bed room as round the red lamp the great man was ushered in at the door of the dressing room my dear charles said he cordially stepping into the room with all the boyish for which he was famous i trust that you find yourself a little better almost ready for harness eh we miss you sadly both in the house and in the council quite a storm over this business the times took a nasty line this morning so i saw said the invalid smiling up at his chief well well we must let them see that the country is not entirely ruled from house square yet we must keep our own course without faltering certainly charles most undoubtedly assented the prime minister with his hands in his pockets it was so kind of you to call i am all impatience to know what was done in the council pure nothing more by the prisoners are all right thank goodness for that we all other business until we should have you with us next week the question of a dissolution begins to press the reports from the provinces are excellent the foreign minister moved and groaned a question of we must really up our foreign business a little said he i must get note answered it is clever but the are obvious i wish too we could clear up the frontier this illness is most i there is so much to be done but my brain is clouded sometimes i think it is the and sometimes i put it down to the what will our medical say laughed the prime minister you are so charles with a bishop one may feel at one s ease they are not beyond the reach of argument but a doctor with his and is a thing apart your reading does not upon him he is serenely above you and then of course he takes you at a disadvantage with health and strength one might cope with him have you read what are your views upon the invalid knew his illustrious too well to follow him down any of those by paths of knowledge in which he delighted to wander to his intensely shrewd and practical mind there was something in the waste of energy involved in a discussion upon the early church or the twenty seven principles of it was his custom to slip past such with a quick step and an averted face i round the red lamp i have hardly glanced at his writings said he by the way i suppose that there was no special news ah i had almost forgotten yes it was one of the things which i had called to tell you sir jones has resigned at there is a there it had better be filled at once the longer delay the more ah patronage patronage sighed the prime minister every makes one doubtful friend and a dozen very positive enemies who so bitter as the disappointed but you are right charles better fill it at once especially as there is some little trouble in i understand that the duke of would like the place for his fourth son lord arthur we are under some obligation to the duke the foreign minister sat up eagerly my dear friend he said it is the very appointment which i should have suggested lord arthur would be very much better in at present than in square his chief with a little arch of his eyebrows well let us say london he has manner and tact he was at in s time a question of then he talks a but his french is good speaking of charles have yon dipped into no i have not but the appointment would be an excellent one in every way would you have the great goodness to arrange the matter in my absence certainly charles certainly is there anything else that i can do no i hope to be in the house by monday i trust so we miss you at every turn the times will try to make mischief over that business a leader writer is a terribly thing charles there is no method by which he may be however preposterous his good bye he shook the invalid s hand gave a wave of his broad hat and darted out of the room with the same and energy with which he had entered it the footman had already opened the great folding door to the illustrious visitor to his carriage when a lady stepped from the draw ing room and touched him on the sleeve from behind the half closed of stamped velvet a little pale face peeped out half curious the red lamp may i have one word surely lady i hope it is not i would not for the world the limits my dear lady interrupted the prime minister with a youthful bow and wave pray do not answer me if i go too far but i know that lord arthur has applied for would it be a liberty if i asked you what chance he has the post is filled up oh in the and background there was a disappointed face and lord arthur has it the prime minister chuckled over his little piece of we have just decided it he continued lord arthur must go in a week i am delighted to perceive lady that the appointment has your approval is a place of extraordinary interest of and colonel will occur to your memory has written well upon northern africa i dine at so i am sure that you will excuse my leaving you i trust that lord charles will be better he can hardly fail to be so with such a nurse he bowed waved and was off down the steps a question op to his as he drove away lady could see that he was 