These were Mrs.Bonteen and Laurence Fitzgibbon, and then Mr.
Bonteen,--and after them Mr.Ratler, the Whip, who was in a violent hurry, and did not stay there a moment, and then Barrington Erle and young Lord James Fitz-Howard, the youngest son of the Duke of St.
Bungay.

In twenty or thirty minutes there was a gathering of liberal political notabilities in Lady Laura's drawing-room.

There were two great pieces of news by which they were all enthralled.

Mr.Mildmay would not be Prime Minister, and Sir Everard Powell was--dead.

Of course nothing quite positive could be known about Mr.Mildmay.