“Claptrap!” said Phineas.
“It’s what I call downright Radical nonsense,”
said Mrs. Low, nodding her head energetically.
“Portrait indeed! Why should we want to
have a portrait of ignorance and ugliness? What
we all want is to have things quiet and orderly.”
“Then you’d better have a paternal government
at once,” said Phineas.
“Just so,” said Mr. Low,—“only
that what you call a paternal government is not always
quiet and orderly. National order I take to be
submission to the law. I should not think it quiet
and orderly if I were sent to Cayenne without being
brought before a jury.”
“But such a man as you would not be sent to
Cayenne,” said Phineas,
“My next-door neighbour might be,—which
would be almost as bad. Let him be sent to Cayenne
if he deserves it, but let a jury say that he has
deserved it. My idea of government is this,—that
we want to be governed by law and not by caprice,
and that we must have a legislature to make our laws.
If I thought that Parliament as at present established
made the laws badly, I would desire a change; but
I doubt whether we shall have them better from any
change in Parliament which Reform will give us.”
“Of course not,” said Mrs. Low. “But
we shall have a lot of beggars put on horseback, and
we all know where they ride to.”
Then Phineas became aware that it is not easy to convince
any man or any woman on a point of politics,—not
even though he who argues may have an eloquent letter
from a philosophical Cabinet Minister in his pocket
to assist him.
Phineas Finn Makes Progress
February was far advanced and the new Reform Bill
had already been brought forward, before Lady Laura
Kennedy came up to town. Phineas had of course
seen Mr. Kennedy and had heard from him tidings of
his wife. She was at Saulsby with Lady Baldock
and Miss Boreham and Violet Effingham, but was to
be in London soon. Mr. Kennedy, as it appeared,
did not quite know when he was to expect his wife;
and Phineas thought that he could perceive from the
tone of the husband’s voice that something was
amiss. He could not however ask any questions
excepting such as referred to the expected arrival.
Was Miss Effingham to come to London with Lady Laura?
Mr. Kennedy believed that Miss Effingham would be
up before Easter, but he did not know whether she
would come with his wife. “Women,”
he said, “are so fond of mystery that one can
never quite know what they intend to do.”
He corrected himself at once however, perceiving that
he had seemed to say something against his wife, and
explained that his general accusation against the
sex was not intended to apply to Lady Laura.
This, however, he did so awkwardly as to strengthen
the feeling with Phineas that something assuredly was
wrong. “Miss Effingham,” said Mr.
Kennedy, “never seems to know her own mind.”
“I suppose she is like other beautiful girls
