'I don't know who does.Sir Timothy Beeswax, I suppose, will resent the injury done him.But I can hardly think that a strong government can be formed by Sir Orlando Drought and Sir Timothy Beeswax.Any secession is a weakness,--of course; but I think we may survive it.' And so Mr Rattler and Mr Roby made up their minds that the first Lord of the Admiralty might be thrown overboard without much danger to the Queen's ship.
Sir Orlando, however, was quite in earnest.The man had spirit enough to feel that no alternative was left to him after he had condescended to suggest that he should be asked to dinner and had been refused.He tried Mr Roby, and found that Mr Roby was a mean fellow, wedded, as he told himself, to his salary.Then he sounded Lord Drummond, urging various reasons.The country was not safe without more ships.Mr Monk was altogether wrong about revenue.Mr Finn's ideas about Ireland were revolutionary.But Lord Drummond thought that, upon the whole, the present Ministry served the country well, and considered himself bound to adhere to it.'He cannot beat the idea of being out of power,' said Sir Orlando to himself.He next said a word to Sir Timothy; but Sir Timothy was not the man to be led by the nose by Sir Orlando.
Sir Timothy had his grievance and meant to have his revenge, but he knew how to choose his own time.'The Duke's not a bad fellow,' said Sir Timothy,--'perhaps a little weak, but well-meaning.I think we ought to stand by him a little longer.As for Finn's Irish bill, I haven't troubled myself about it.' Then Sir Orlando declared himself that Sir Timothy was a coward, and resolved that he would act alone.
About the middle of July he went to the Duke at the Treasury, was closeted with him, and in a very long narration of his own differences, difficulties, opinions, and grievances, explained to the Duke that his conscience called upon him to resign.The Duke listened and bowed his head, and with one or two very gently-uttered word expressed his regret.Then Sir Orlando, in another long speech, laid bare his bosom to the Chief whom he was leaving, declaring the inexpressible sorrow with which he had found himself called upon to take a step which he feared might be prejudicial to the political status of a man whom he honoured so much as he did the Duke of Omnium.Then the Duke bowed again, but said nothing.The man had been guilty of the impropriety of questioning the way in which the Duke's private hospitality was exercised, and the Duke could not bring himself to be genially civil to such an offender.Sir Orlando went on to say that he would of course explain his views in the Cabinet, but that he had thought it right to make them known to the Duke as soon as they were formed.'The best friends must part, Duke,' he said as he took his leave.'I hope not, Sir Orlando.I hope not,' said the Duke.But Sir Orlando had been too full of himself and of the words he had to speak, and of the thing he was about to do, to understand either the Duke's words or his silence.
And so Sir Orlando resigned, and thus supplied the only morsel of political interest which the Session produced.'Take no more notice of him than if your footman was going,' had been the advice of the old Duke.Of course there was a Cabinet meeting on the occasion, but even there the commotion was very slight, as every member knew before entering the room what it was that Sir Orlando intended to do.Lord Drummond said that the step was one to be much lamented.'Very much indeed,' said the Duke of St Bungay.His word themselves were false and hypocritical, but the tone of his voice took away all the deceit.'I am afraid,' said the Prime Minister, 'from what Sir Orlando has said to me privately, that we cannot hope that he will change his mind.'
'That I certainly cannot do,' said Sir Orlando, with all the dignified courage of a modern martyr.
On the next morning the papers were full of the political fact, and were blessed with a subject on which they could exercise their prophetical sagacity.The remarks made were generally favourable to the Government.Three or four of the morning papers were of opinion that though Sir Orlando had been a strong man, and a good public servant, the Ministry might exist without him.But the "People's Banner" was able to expound to the people at large, that the only grain of salt by which the Ministry had been kept from putrefaction had been cast out, and that mortification, death and corruption, must ensue.It was one of Mr Quintus Slide's greatest efforts.