This was all very well as coming from Lord Chiltern; but there was no word about Violet, and Phineas did not know how to get a word from any one.  Lady Laura could have told him everything, but he could not go to Lady Laura.  He did go to Lady Baldock’s house as often as he thought he could with propriety, and occasionally he saw Violet.  But he could do no more than see her, and the days and weeks were passing by, and the time was coming in which he would have to go away, and be with her no more.  The end of the season, which was always to other men,—­to other working men such as our hero,—­a period of pleasurable anticipation, to him was a time of sadness, in which he felt that he was not exactly like to, or even equal to, the men with whom he lived in London.  In the old days, in which he was allowed to go to Loughlinter or to Saulsby, when all men and women were going to their Loughlinters and their Saulsbys, it was very well with him; but there was something melancholy to him in his yearly journey to Ireland.  He loved his father and mother and sisters as well as do other men; but there was a falling off in the manner of his life which made him feel that he had been in some sort out of his own element in London.  He would have liked to have shot grouse at Loughlinter, or pheasants at Saulsby, or to have hunted down at Willingford,—­or better still, to have made love to Violet Effingham wherever Violet Effingham might have placed herself.  But all this was closed to him now; and there would be nothing for him but to remain at Killaloe, or to return to his work in Downing Street, from August to February.  Mr. Monk, indeed, was going with him for a few weeks; but even this association did not make up for that sort of society which he would have preferred.

The session went on very quietly.  The question of the Irish Reform Bill was postponed till the next year, which was a great thing gained.  He carried his bill about the Canada Railway, with sundry other small bills appertaining to it, through the House in a manner which redounded infinitely to his credit.  There was just enough of opposition to give a zest to the work, and to make the affair conspicuous among the affairs of the year.  As his chief was in the other house, the work fell altogether into his hands, so that he came to be conspicuous among Under-Secretaries.  It was only when he said a word to any leaders of his party about other matters,—­about Irish Tenant-right, for instance, which was beginning to loom very large, that he found himself to be snubbed.  But there was no room for action this year in reference to Irish Tenant-right, and therefore any deep consideration of that discomfort might be legitimately postponed.  If he did by chance open his mouth on the subject to Mr. Monk, even Mr. Monk discouraged him.