"'THE HONOURABLE HENRY HAWKSBY'S DINNER-PARTY.--Lord So-and-So--Duke
of So-and-So--W. Pitt Scully, Esq. M.P.'

"Hawksby is our neutral, our dinner-giver.

"'LADY DIANA DOLDRUM'S ROUT.--W. Pitt Scully, Esq,' again.

"'THE EARL OF MANTRAP'S GRAND DINNER.'--A Duke--four Lords--'Mr.
Scully, and Sir George Gorgon.'"

"Well, but I don't see how you have bought him; look at his votes."

"My dear John," said Mr. Crampton, jingling his watch-seals very
complacently, "I am letting you into fearful secrets. The great
common end of party is to buy your opponents--the great statesman
buys them for nothing."

Here the attendant genius of Mr. Crampton made his appearance, and
whispered something, to which the little gentleman said, "Show her
Ladyship in,"--when the attendant disappeared.

"John," said Mr. Crampton, with a very queer smile, "you can't stay
in this room while Lady Gorgon is with me; but there is a little
clerk's room behind the screen there, where you can wait until I
call you."

John retired, and as he closed the door of communication, strange to
say, little Mr. Crampton sprang up and said, "Confound the young
ninny, he has shut the door!"