第133章

"Beg pardon!" said that gentleman, with irritating placidity.

"Late for dinner?"

"Rather!" cried the secretary, trying to get round him.

"Well," drawled the other, "which is the hand-box, old fellow?""It has just been cleared.Here, give it me.The messengers is in the hall now."And Atley snatched the letter from his companion, the two going out into the hall together.Marcus, the butler, a couple of tall footmen, and the messenger were sorting letters at the table.

"Here, Marcus," said the secretary, pitching his letter on the slab, "let that go with the others.And is my hansom here?"In another minute he was speeding one way, and the Staffords in their brougham another, while Sir Horace walked at his leisure down to his club.The Minister and his wife drove along in silence, for he forgot to ask her what she wanted; and, strange to say, Lady Betty forgot to tell him.At the party she made quite a sensation;never had she seemed more recklessly gay, more piquant, more audaciously witty, than she showed herself this evening.There were illustrious personages present, but they paled beside her.

The Duke, with whom she was a great favorite, laughed at her sallies until he could laugh no more; and even her husband, her very husband, forgot for a time the country and the crisis, and listened, half-proud and half-afraid.But she was not aware of this; she could not see his face where she was sitting.To all seeming, she never looked that way.She was quite a model society wife.

Mr.Stafford himself was an early riser.It was his habit to be up by six; to make his own coffee over a spirit lamp, and then not only to get through much work in his dressing-room, but to take his daily ride also before breakfast.On the morning after the Duke's party, however, he lay later than usual; and as there was more business to be done--owing to the crisis--the canter in the Park had to be omitted.He was still among his papers--though momentarily awaiting the breakfast-gong, when a hansom cab driven at full speed stopped at the door.He glanced up wearily as he heard the doors of the cab flung open with a crash.There had been a time when the stir and bustle of such arrivals had been sweet to him--not so sweet as to some, for he had never been deeply in love with the parade of office--but sweeter than to-day, when they were no more to him than the creaking of the mill to the camel that turns it blindfold and in darkness.

Naturally he was thinking of Lord Pilgrimstone this morning, and guessed, before he opened the note which the servant brought in to him, who was its writer.But its contents had, nevertheless, an electrical effect upon him.His brow reddened.With a quite unusual display of emotion he sprang to his feet, crushing the fragment of paper in his fingers."Who brought this?" he asked sharply."Who brought it?" he repeated, before the servant could explain.

The man had never seen him so moved."Mr.Scratchley, sir," he answered.

"Ha! Then, show him into the library," was the quick reply.And while the servant went to do his bidding, the Minister hastily changed his dressing-gown for a coat, and ran down a private staircase, reaching the room he had mentioned by one door as Mr.

Scratchley, Lord Pilgrim-stone's secretary, entered in through another.

By that time he had regained his composure, and looked much as usual.Still, when he held up the crumpled note, there was a brusqueness in the gesture which would have surprised his ordinary acquaintances, and did remind Mr.Scratchley of certain "warm nights" in the House."You know the contents of this, Mr.

Scratchley?" he said without prelude, and in a tone which matched his gesture.

The visitor bowed.He was a grave middle-aged man, who seemed oppressed and burdened by the load of cares and responsibilities which his smiling chief carried so jauntily.People said that he was the proper complement of Lord Pilgrimstone, as the more volatile Atley was of his leader.

"And you are aware," continued Mr.Stafford, still more harshly, "that Lord Pilgrimstone gives yesterday's agreement to the winds?""I have never seen his lordship so deeply moved," replied the discreet one.

"He says: 'Our former negotiation was ruined by premature talk, but this last disclosure can only be referred to treachery or gross carelessness.' What does this mean? I know of no disclosure, Mr.

Scratchley.I must have an explanation, and you, I presume, are here to give me one."For a moment the other seemed taken aback."You have not seen the Times?" he murmured.

"This morning's? No.But it is here."