mixed with; and wish to leave your seat to Clayton for a time, while you forget courts and courtiers in diplomacy.

"Does Mr. Clayton tell you so?"

"Yes! and Lord Oldcastle has cordially assented." "You surprise me; for I have not even applied." "But your uncle has; and you see he obeys the gospel, for he does not let one hand know what the other doeth. In short, it is all approved, and you are to have your choice of three courts. Cleveland has been much your friend, I assure you, as well as Clayton."

"Indeed!" said De Vere, who felt neither honoured nor pleased with either assurance.

Eustace, however, opened the subject more at large, and acquainted him that Lord Mowbray had asked and obtained for him the nomination of minister to one of the three legations vacant on the recent change; and that he might kiss hands upon it as soon as he pleased. "En attendant," said Eustace, "Lord Oldcastle expects to see you. You may depend upon this as correct; and I wonder Clayton, who was charged with, and very instrumental in it, has not already informed you."

De Vere was filled with surprise, more at the news itself, than at the backwardness of Clayton in communicating it. But he was also embarrassed; which Eustace observing, De Vere said, "That with every sense of obligation to Lord Oldcastle, the matter was so new to him, that he begged time to consider of it." "Do you mean," asked Eustace, "that Lord Mowbray and Clayton have been wrong in their representations?"

"I cannot say so exactly," returned De Vere; "but the thing has been lost in so many more interesting events; and you know, or I am bound to tell it you, that I am not one of Lord Oldcastle's lieges.'

"Whose then?"

"No man's! for to no one do I, or will I owe fealty."

Eustace bit his lip with evident disappointment; but, as on the whole he liked De Vere, he allowed a frank

nature, for once, to get the better of his party-spirit, and very honestly, though ironically, said, "You are, indeed, a great deal too exalted for us poor slaves of Party at home, and wisely cut us; though whether for honester people abroad, remains to be seen. It is clear, however, you will never come up to Dr. Herbert's judgment of Clayton."

"What was that?"

"Why, at a dinner at Lord Clanellan's, where were the Doctor and other exemplary persons, the conversation turned upon the different modes of rising; and friend Clayton chose to doubt his talents that way, on account of the compliances and strange traffic which seemed necessary to conciliate different interests. Lord Clanellan stared, and Lady Clanellan laughed; but the Doctor exclaimed, in his oracular way, 'Never fear, Sir, never fear; dare say you will in time make a very pretty rascal.'"

De Vere, amused, spite of his serious thoughts, asked if Clayton had assented?

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"He had nothing left for it," answered Eustace, especially as Lady Clanellan drank to his speedy success. But as he has not yet succeeded

De Vere shook his head.

"Come," said Eustace, "if you mean for joining Lord Oldcastle, when the King said nay to the high and mighty who wanted to enslave us, I, at least, must excuse him, whatever the Hagen Magen do. I trust, however, he has not been incorrect as to your views on diplomacy.

"With some reserves and explanations," said De Vere, "I might still have those views; and those explanations Lord Oldcastle will, I suppose, permit me

to make."

"My father is the most reasonable man alive," returned Eustace, and as I left him at leisure, we will, if you please, go to him directly."

De Vere wished more time. He had scarcely thought of the plan since it had been proposed; a thousand uncertainties hung about him; he wished for a long and deep self-examination as to his opinions of public life, of men, and measures; he wished explanations still,

(notwithstanding his recent loftiness,) with Wentworth; and, above all, he wished to probe his own heart in regard to Constance.

But all this was prevented by the alacrity of Eustace; who insisted upon De Vere's going with him immediately; and, in fact, carried and presented him to his father, when, leaving them together, he cried, "There! now tell your own story."

CHAPTER XIII.

DIPLOMACY.

Shall we call in the Ambassador, my liege?-
Not yet, my cousin. We would be resolv'd,
Before we hear him, of some things of weight.
SHAKSPEARE.

LORD OLDCASTLE was a man of the smoothest address, and of a most silvery eloquence, whether in public or private. He had the most perfect self-possession, and was the personification of the Volto sciol

to. Whatever he said or did, was marked by a mixture of habitual good-breeding, and seeming frankness; and it was always a man's own fault if he ever felt under constraint in opening his thoughts to him.

The rectitude of De Vere never felt constraint in opening itself to any man; but Lord Oldcastle would have put him at his ease had it been otherwise.

With great openness, as well as kindness of manner, his Lordship himself began the subject; observing much upon his good-will towards his uncle, and, indeed, his obligations to him; to which he added the expression of great respect for De Vere himself. He then broached the question of diplomacy, descanted on the advantage of having a man of De Vere's birth and character, as the representative of the government at any court, and concluded by offering him the choice of the vacancies Eustace had mentioned.

To say De Vere was not pleased with this address, would be to wrong the truth. He was even won by it; and he felt the pleasure it would be, if the measures of such a man were what he could support. He had, however, many things to explain, and to guard, and had occasion for all his decision to prevent himself from being dazzled into general compliances, which might afterwards be attended with unpleasant consequences.

After thanking the Minister, therefore, for a reception so flattering, he begged leave, as the best return he could make, to explain with distinctness and honesty, how far Lord Oldcastle himself might judge he was in a condition to accept his offers.

Lord Oldcastle, with perfect frankness, said it was what he should most thank him for.

De Vere then explained to him, how much it had been his resolve, as well as his wish, ever since public life had been set before him, to keep himself distinct from party.

Lord Oldcastle smiled, but bade him go on.

De Vere continued, that it had been his hope, when he came into Parliament, to support the friends of his family; but his resolution was to give a reasonable, not a blind and slavish support.

Lord Oldcastle bowed, and with his hand spread on his bosom, said he wished for no other.

"It is, however, my duty, in honour, to add," proceeded De Vere," that I am an admirer of the character, talents, and rules of action, of Mr. Wentworth."

Lord Oldcastle again smiled, but with a repressed curl of his lip, and not exactly with the same ease as he had smiled before. He, however, again begged De Vere to go on.

"I have to confess, therefore," said De Vere, "that I was glad of my uncle's reported junction with him, and was even hurt at the breach of a positive engagement. I felt thus from my admiration of Mr. Wentworth; but had the engagement been with your lordship, at such a breach, I should have felt equally mortified."

Lord Oldcastle smiled once more, and in a different VOL. II.-9

sort still; as if he had said, his young companion had not known what reason there had been for that very mortification. But he did not allude to it in his answer, when he assured him, that though the intimations he had given him had been something different from what he had hoped, and what he had expected, and that probably De Vere would live to see the impracticability of his principles; still, what he had said, seemed only to proceed from very honourable sentiments, which he should be the last to oppose. That, as to admiring Mr. Wentworth, it was only his own feeling, and could never be imputed as a fault to any one.

"I do not collect, however," added Lord Oldcastle, good-humouredly, "that if you come into Parliament, you are enlisted under Mr. Wentworth, or against His Majesty's Government."

"Certainly not," answered De Vere; "but I own that his secession from the ministry is one inducement the more to make me think of diplomacy; which may take me from the sphere of party (for which I am not fit,) and allow me to give my undisturbed attention to a great public duty, without any other pledge than a desire to perform it."

"All that is very prudent and praiseworthy," said Lord Oldcastle bowing, though with a little less ease; ❝and I am sure, if you are adopted into diplomacy, with such determinations, the secrets of government cannot be unsafe when entrusted to you. 99

"I should hope," observed De Vere, "that no man of honour, if once he accepted employment, could render them unsafe, though he might differ with his employers on general politics, or even opposed them in parliament."

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Again let me recommend your liberal notions," said Lord Oldcastle; and if practicable any where, I am sure they are in diplomacy, in which there are not the personal and daily struggles that divide us at home; -accordingly, we have instances of men connected with the determined opponents of government, who have served the administration (because serving their country) with the utmost fidelity and honour. Never