to a Cottage on Dartmoor and there be made to read,—­with such amusement in the meantime as might be got from fishing, and playing cricket with the West Devon county club.  ’It isn’t very bright look-out for the summer,’ his brother had said to him, ’but it’s better then breaking out on the loose altogether.  You be a credit to the family and all that sort of thing.  Then I’ll give up the borough to you.  But mind you stick to the Liberals.  I’ve made an ass of myself.’  However in these early days of June Lord Gerald had not yet got his tutor.

Though the father and the two young men were living together they did not see very much of each other.  The Duke breakfasted at nine and the repast was a very simple one.  When they failed to appear, he did not scold,—­but would simply be disappointed.  At dinner they never met.  It was supposed that Lord Gerald passed his mornings at reading, and some little attempts were made in that direction.  It is to be feared they did not come to much.  Silverbridge was very kind to Gerald, feeling an increased tenderness for him on account of that Cambridge mishap.  Now they were much together, and occasionally, by a strong effort, would grace their father’s breakfast-table with their company.

It was not often that he either reproached them or preached to them.  Though he could not live with them on almost equal terms, as some fathers can live with their sons, though he could not laugh at their fun or make them laugh at his wit, he knew that it would have been better both for him and them if he had possessed this capacity.  Though the life which they lived was distasteful to him,—­though racehorses were an abomination to him, and the driving of coaches a folly, and club-life a manifest waste of time, still he recognised these things as being, if not necessary, yet unavoidable evils.  To Gerald he would talk about Oxford, avoiding all allusion to past Cambridge misfortunes; but in the presence of Silverbridge, whose Oxford career had been so peculiarly unfortunate, he would make no allusion to either of the universities.  To his eldest son he would talk of Parliament which of all subjects would have been the most congenial had they agreed in politics.  As it was he could speak more freely to him on that than any other matter.

One Thursday night as the two brothers went to bed on returning from the Beargarden, at a not very late hour, they agreed that they would ‘give the governor a turn’ the next morning,—­by which they meant that they would drag themselves out of bed in time to breakfast with him.  The worst of it is that he will never let them get anything to eat, said Gerald.  But Silverbridge explained that he had taken the matter into his own hands, and had specially ordered broiled salmon and stewed kidneys.  ’He won’t like it, you know,’ said Gerald.  ’I’m sure he thinks it wicked to eat anything but toasted bacon before lunch.’

At a very little after nine Silverbridge was in the breakfast-room, and there found his father.  ’I suppose Gerald is not up yet,’ said the Duke almost crossly.