as he had spoken now all argument was unavailing.

The Duke remained an hour alone before he was joined by the other
Duke, during which he did not for a moment apply his mind to the
subject which might be thought to be most prominent in his
thoughts,--the filling up, namely, of a list of his new
government. All that he could do in that direction without
further assistance had been already done very easily. There were
four or five certain names,--names that is of certain political
friends, and three or four almost equally certain of men who had
been political enemies, but who would not clearly be asked to
join the ministry. Sir Gregory Grogram, the late Attorney-
General, would of course be asked to resume his place, but Sir
Timothy Beeswax, who was up to this moment Solicitor-General for
the Conservatives, would also be invited to retain that which he
held. Many details were known, not only to the two dukes who
were about to patch up the ministry between them, but to the
political world at large,--and where facts upon which the
newspapers were able to display their wonderful foresight and
general omniscience, with their usual confidence. And as to the
points which were in doubt,--whether or not, for instance, that
consistent old Tory, Sir Orlando Drought, should be asked to put
up with the Post-office or should be allowed to remain at the
Colonies,--the younger Duke did not care to trouble himself till
the elder should have come to his assistance. But his own
position and his questionable capacity for filling it,--that
occupied all his mind. If nominally first he would be really
first. Of so much it seemed to him that his honour required him
to assure himself. To be a faneant ruler was in direct
antagonism both to his conscience and to his predilections. To