Sir Orlando made his speech, and, as had been anticipated, it had very little to do with the bill, and was almost exclusively an attack upon his late chief.He thought, he said, that this was an occasion on which they had better come to a direct issue with as little delay as possible.If he rightly read the feeling of the House, no bill of this magnitude coming from the present Ministry would be likely to be passed in an efficient condition.
The Duke had frittered away his support in that House, and as a Minister had lost that confidence which a majority of the House had once been willing to place in him.We need not follow Sir Orlando through his speech.He alluded to his own services, and declared that he was obliged to withdraw them because the Duke would not trust him with the management of his own office.He had reason to believe that other gentlemen who had attached themselves to the Duke's Ministry had found themselves equally crippled by this passion for autocratic rule.Hereupon a loud chorus of disapprobation came from the Treasury bench, which was fully answered by opposing noises from the other side of the House.Sir Orlando declared that he need only point to the fact that the Ministry had been already shivered by the secession of various gentlemen.'Only two,' said a voice.Sir Orlando was turning round to contradict the voice when he was greeted by another.'And those the weakest,' said another voice, which was indubitably that of Larry Fitzgibbon.'I will not speak of myself,' said Sir Orlando pompously, 'but I am authorized to tell the House that the noble lord who is now the Secretary of State for the Colonies only holds his office till this crisis is passed.'
After that there was some sparring of a very bitter kind between Sir Timothy and Phineas Finn, till at last it seemed that the debate was to degenerate into a war of man against man.Phineas and Erle, and Laurance Fitzgibbon allowed themselves to be lashed into anger, and, as far as words went, had the best of it.But of what use could it be? Every man there had come into the House prepared to vote for or against the Duke of Omnium,--or resolved, like Mr Lupton, not to vote at all, and it was hardly on the cards that a single vote should be turned this way or that by any violence of speaking.'Let it pass,' said Mr Monk in a whisper to Phineas.'The fire is not worth the fuel.'
'I know the Duke's faults,' said Phineas, 'but these men know nothing of his virtues, and when I hear them abuse him, I cannot stand it.'
Early in the night,--before twelve o'clock,--the House divided, and even at that moment of the division no one quite knew how it would go.There would be many who would of course vote against the amendment as being simply desirous of recording their opinion in favour of the bill generally.And there were some who thought that Sir Orlando and his followers had been too forward, and too confident of their own standing in the House, in trying so violent a mode of opposition.It would have been better, these men thought, to have insured success by a gradual and persistent opposition to the bill itself.But they hardly knew how thoroughly men may be alienated by silence and a cold demeanour.
Sir Orlando on the division was beaten, but was beaten only by nine.'He can't go on with this bill,' said Rattler in one of the lobbies of the House.'I defy him.The House wouldn't stand it, you know.' 'No minister,' said Roby, 'could carry a measure like that with a majority of nine on a vote of confidence!' The House was of course adjourned, and Mr Monk went at once to Carlton Terrace.
'I wish it had only been three or four,' said the Duke, laughing.
'Why so?'
'Because there would have been less doubt.'
'Is there any at present?'
'Less possibility for doubt, I should say.You would not wish me to make the attempt with such a majority?'
'I could not do it, Duke.'
'I quite agree with you.But there will be those who will say that the attempt might be made,--who will accuse me of being faint-hearted because we do not make it.'
'They will be men who understand nothing of the temper of the House.'
'Very likely.But still, I wish the majority had only been two or three.There is little more to be said, I suppose.'
'Very little, your Grace.'
'We had better meet to-morrow at two, and if possible, I will see her Majesty in the afternoon.Good night, Mr Monk.'
'Good night, Duke.'
'My reign is ended.You are a good deal and older man than I, and yet probably yours has yet to begin.' Mr Monk smiled and shook his head as he left the room, not trusting himself to discuss so large a subject at so late an hour of the night.
Without waiting a moment after his colleague's departure, the Prime Minister,--for he was still Prime Minister,--went into his wife's room, knowing that she was waiting up till she should hear the result of the division, and there he found Mrs Finn with her.'Is it over?' asked the Duchess.