‘Women can do that too.’

’But they go to the dogs.  We are dreadfully restricted.  If you like champagne you can have a bucketful.  I am obliged to pretend that I only want a very little.  You can bet thousands.  I must confine myself to gloves.  You can flirt with any woman you please.  I must wait till somebody comes,—­and put up with it if nobody does come.’

‘Plenty come no doubt.’

’But I want to pick and choose.  A man turns the girls over one after another as one does the papers when one if fitting up a room, or rolls them out as one rolls out the carpets.  A very careful young man like Lord Popplecourt might reject a young woman because her hair didn’t suit the colour of his furniture.’

’I don’t think that I shall choose my wife as I would papers and carpets.’

The Duke, who sat between Lady Cantrip and her daughter, did his best to make himself agreeable.  The conversation had been semi-political,—­political to the usual feminine extent, and had consisted chiefly of sarcasms from Lady Cantrip against Sir Timothy Beeswax.  ‘That England should put up with such a man,’ Lady Cantrip had said, ’is to me shocking!  There used to be a feeling in favour of gentlemen.’  To this the Duke had responded by asserting that Sir Timothy had displayed great aptitudes for parliamentary life, and knew the House of Commons better than most men.  He said nothing against his foe, and very much in his foe’s praise.  But Lady Cantrip perceived that she had succeeded in pleasing him.

When the ladies were gone the politics became more serious.  ’That unfortunate quarrel is to go on the same as ever I suppose,’ said the Duke, addressing himself to the two young men who had seats in the House of Commons.  They were both on the Conservative side in politics.  The three peers were all Liberals.

‘Till next session, I think, sir,’ said Silverbridge.

‘Sir Timothy, though he did lose his temper, has managed it well,’ said Lord Cantrip.

‘Phineas Finn lost his temper worse than Sir Timothy,’ said Lord Nidderdale.

‘But yet I think he had the feeling of the House with him,’ said the Duke.  ‘I happened to be present in the gallery at the time.’

‘Yes,’ said Nidderdale, ’because he “owned up”.  The fact is if you “own up” in a genial sort of way the House will forgive anything.  If I were to murder my grandmother, and when questioned about it were to acknowledge that I had done it—­’ Then Lord Nidderdale stood up and made his speech as he might have made it in the House of Commons.  ’I regret to say, sir, that the old woman did get in my way when I was in a passion.  Unfortunately I had a heavy stick in my hand and I did strike her over the head.  Nobody can regret it so much as I do!  Nobody can feel so acutely the position in which I am placed!  I have sat in this House for many years, and many gentlemen know me well.  I think, sir, that they will acknowledge that I am