and I think they know
what's right, if any man does. We are bound to regard every man of our party as
a public instrument, and to pull all together. The Transomes have always been a
good Tory family, but it has been a cipher of late years. This young fellow
coming back with a fortune to give the family a head and a position is a clear
gain to the county; and with Philip he'll get into the right hands - of course
he wants guiding, having been out of the country so long. All we have to ask is,
whether a man's a Tory, and will make a stand for the good of the country? -
that's the plain English of the matter. And I do beg of you, my dear, to set
aside all these gossiping niceties, and exert yourself, like a woman of sense
and spirit as you are, to bring the right people together.«
    Here Sir Maximus gave a deep cough, took out his snuff-box, and tapped it:
he had made a serious marital speech, an exertion to which he was rarely urged
by anything smaller than a matter of conscience. And this outline of the whole
duty of a Tory was matter of conscience with him; though the Duffield Watchman
had pointed expressly to Sir Maximus Debarry amongst others, in branding the
co-operation of the Tories as a conscious selfishness and reckless immorality,
which, however, would be defeated by the co-operation of all the friends of
truth and liberty, who, the Watchman trusted, would subordinate all
non-political differences in order to return representatives pledged to support
the present government.
    »I am sure, Sir Maximus,« Lady Debarry answered, »you could not have
observed that anything was wanting in my manners to Mrs Transome.«
    »No, no, my dear; but I say this by way of caution. Never mind what was done
at Smyrna, or whether Transome likes to sit with his heels tucked up. We may
surely wink at a few things for the sake of the public interest, if God Almighty
does; and if He didn't, I don't know what would have become of the country -
government could never have been carried on, and many a good battle would have
been lost. That's the philosophy of the matter, and the common sense too.«
    Good Sir Maximus gave a deep cough and tapped his box again, inwardly
remarking, that if he had not been such a lazy fellow he might have made as good