“You think very badly then of politics as a profession.”

“No; I think of them very highly.  It must be better to deal with the repeal of laws than the defending of criminals.  But all this is papa’s wisdom, not mine.  Papa has never been in the Cabinet yet, and therefore of course he is a little caustic.”

“I think he was quite right,” said Barrington Erle stoutly.  He spoke so stoutly that everybody at the table listened to him.

“I don’t exactly see the necessity for such internecine war just at present,” said Lord Brentford.

“I must say I do,” said the other.  “Lord de Terrier took office knowing that he was in a minority.  We had a fair majority of nearly thirty when he came in.”

“Then how very soft you must have been to go out,” said Miss Fitzgibbon.

“Not in the least soft,” continued Barrington Erle.  “We could not command our men, and were bound to go out.  For aught we knew, some score of them might have chosen to support Lord de Terrier, and then we should have owned ourselves beaten for the time.”

“You were beaten,—­hollow,” said Miss Fitzgibbon.

“Then why did Lord de Terrier dissolve?”

“A Prime Minister is quite right to dissolve in such a position,” said Lord Brentford.  “He must do so for the Queen’s sake.  It is his only chance.”

“Just so.  It is, as you say, his only chance, and it is his right.  His very possession of power will give him near a score of votes, and if he thinks that he has a chance, let him try it.  We maintain that he had no chance, and that he must have known that he had none;—­that if he could not get on with the late House, he certainly could not get on with a new House.  We let him have his own way as far as we could in February.  We had failed last summer, and if he could get along he was welcome.  But he could not get along.”

“I must say I think he was right to dissolve,” said Lady Laura.

“And we are right to force the consequences upon him as quickly as we can.  He practically lost nine seats by his dissolution.  Look at Loughshane.”

“Yes; look at Loughshane,” said Miss Fitzgibbon.  “The country at any rate has gained something there.”

“It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good, Mr. Finn,” said the Earl.

“What on earth is to become of poor George?” said Mr. Fitzgibbon.  “I wonder whether any one knows where he is.  George wasn’t a bad sort of fellow.”

“Roby used to think that he was a very bad fellow,” said Mr. Bonteen.  “Roby used to swear that it was hopeless trying to catch him.”  It may be as well to explain that Mr. Roby was a Conservative gentleman of great fame who had for years acted as Whip under Mr. Daubeny, and who now filled the high office of Patronage Secretary to the Treasury.  “I believe in my heart,” continued Mr. Bonteen, “that Roby is rejoiced that poor George Morris should be out in the cold.”