CHAPTER XVIII. STATECRAFT

It was a cabinet council; they were met in Lady Dorothea's boudoir, Martin and Mr. Repton being summoned to her presence. A letter had that morning reached her Ladyship from a very high quarter; the writer was the Marquis of Reckington, a very distant connection, who had suddenly been graciously pleased, after a long interval of utter obliviousness, to remember that Lady Dorothea was his relative, and yet living!

Whatever pride her Ladyship might have summoned to her aid to repel the slights or impertinences of the vulgar, she displayed a most Christian forgiveness as she broke the seal of an epistle from one who had left several of her own without answers, and even replied to her application for a staff appointment for her son, by a cold a.s.surance that these were times when "nothing but fitness and superior qualifications ent.i.tled any man to advancement in the public service." Oh dear, were there ever any other times since the world was made! Is not merit the only pa.s.sport to place, and high desert and capacity the sole recommendation to favor? Of all the immense advantages of a representative government, is there any more conspicuous than the unerring certainty with which men of ability rise to eminence without other aid than their own powers; and that, in a system like ours, family influence, wealth, name, connections, and parliamentary support are just so much mere dross? If any one be incredulous of the virtue of public men, let him only ask for a place; let him entreat his great friend--everybody has at least one great friend--mine is a coroner--to make him a Junior Lord, or a Vice-Something, and see what the answer will be. Polite, certainly; nothing more so; but what a rebuke to self-seeking!--what a stern chastis.e.m.e.nt to the ignorant presumption that places are awarded by means of favor, or that the public service is ever filled through the channels of private influence! Far from it. He is told that our age is an incorruptible one, that ministers pa.s.s sleepless nights in balancing the claims of treasury clerks, and that Lord Chancellors suffer agonies in weighing the merits of barristers of six years' standing. "We have but one rule for our guidance: the best man in the best place." A high-sounding maxim, which it would be excessively uncivil to disparage by asking what const.i.tutes "a best man." Is he some unscrupulous partisan, who first gave his fortune, and afterwards his fame, to the support of a party? Is he the indisputable disposer of three, or perhaps four votes in the House? Is he a floating buoy to be anch.o.r.ed in either roadstead of politics, and only to be secured to either, for a consideration? Is he the dangerous confidant of some damaging transaction? Or is he the deserter from a camp, where his treason may sow disaffection? These several qualifications have ere this served to make up "a best man;" and strangely enough, are gifts which fit him for the Army, the Navy, the Home Service, or the Colonies.

Let us turn from this digression, into which we have fallen half inadvertently, and read over some parts of Lord Reckington's letter. It was somewhat difficult to decipher, as most great men's letters are, and displayed in more than one place the signs of correction. Although it had been, as we have said, a very long time since any correspondence had occurred between the "cousins," his Lordship resumed the intercourse as though not a week had intervened. After a little playful chiding over the laxity of her Ladyship's writing habits,--three of hers had been left unreplied to,--and some of that small gossip of family changes and events, never interesting to any but the direct actors, his Lordship approached the real topic of his letter; and, as he did so, his writing grew firmer, and larger and bolder, like the voice of a man who spoke of what truly concerned him.

"I thought, my dear Dora, I had done with it all. I flattered myself that I had served my time in public capacities, and that neither the Crown nor its advisers could reasonably call upon me for further sacrifices. _You_ know how little to my taste were either the cares or ambitions of office. In fact, as happens to most men who are zealous for the public service, my official career imposed far more of sacrifices than it conferred privileges. Witness the occasions in which I was driven to reject the claims of my nearest and dearest friends, in compliance with that nervous terror of imputed favoritism so fatal to all in power! I thought, as I have said, that they had no fair claim upon me any longer. I asked nothing; indeed, many thought I was wrong there. But so it was; I quitted office without a pension, and without a ribbon! It was late on a Sat.u.r.day evening, however, when a Cabinet messenger arrived at 'Beech Woods' with an order for me to repair at once to Windsor. I was far from well; but there was no escape.

Immediately on arriving I was summoned to the presence, and before I had paid my respects, his Majesty, who was much excited, said, 'Reckington, we want you. You must go to Ireland!' I believe I started, for he went on, 'I 'll have no refusal. There is but one settlement of this question that I will accept of. You shall go to Ireland!' The King then entered with considerable warmth, but with all his own remarkable perspicuity, into a detail of late changes and events in the Cabinet. He was excessively irritated with B------, and spoke of G------as one whom he never could forgive. He repeatedly said, 'I have been duped; I have been tricked;' and, in fact, exhibited a degree of emotion which, combined with the unbounded frankness of his manner towards me, affected me almost to tears. Of course, my dear Dora, personal considerations ceased at once to have any hold upon me; and I a.s.sured his Majesty that the remainder of my life was freely at his disposal, more than requited, as it already was, by the precious confidence he had that day reposed in me. I must not weary you with details. I accepted and kissed hands as Viceroy on Monday morning; since that I have been in daily communication with G------, who still remains in office. We have discussed Ireland from morning to night, and I hope and trust have at last come to a thorough understanding as to the principles which must guide the future administration. These I reserve to talk over with you when we meet; nor do I hesitate to say that I antic.i.p.ate the very greatest benefit in the fruits of your long residence and great powers of observation of this strange people." The letter here went off into a somewhat long-winded profession of the equal-handed justice which was to mark the acts of the administration. It was to be, in fact, a golden era of equity and fairness; but, somehow, as codicils are occasionally found to revoke the body of the testament, a very suspicious little paragraph rather damaged this glorious conclusion. "I don't mean to say, my dear coz., that we are to neglect our followers,--the Government which could do so never yet possessed, never deserved to possess, able support; but we must discriminate,--we must distinguish between the mere partisan who trades on his principles, and that high-minded and honorable patriot who gives his convictions to party. With the noisy declaimer at public meetings, the mob-orator or pamphleteer, we shall have no sympathy. To the worthy country gentleman, independent by fortune as well as by principle, extending the example of a blameless life to a large neighborhood, aiding us by his counsels as much as by the tender of his political support,--to him, I say, we shall show our grat.i.tude, not grudgingly nor sparingly, but freely, openly, and largely. You now know in what ranks we wish to see our friends, in the very van of which array I reckon upon yourself." We shall again skip a little, since here the writer diverged into a slight dissertation on the indissoluble ties of kindred, and the links, stronger than adamant, that bind those of one blood together.

After a brief but rapid survey of the strong opposition which was to meet them, he went on: "Of course all will depend upon our parliamentary support; without a good working majority we cannot stand, and for this must we use all our exertions." A few generalities on the comfort and satisfaction resulting from "safe divisions" ensued, and then came the apparently careless question, "What can _you_ do for us? Yes, my dear Dora, I repeat, what can _you_ do for us? What we need is the support of men who have courage enough to merge old prejudices and old convictions in their full trust in us; who, with the intelligence of true statesmanship, will comprehend the altered condition of the country, and not endeavor to adapt the nation to _their_ views, but rather _their_ views to the nation. In a word, a wise and liberal policy, not based upon party watchwords and antiquated symbols, but on the prospect of seeing Ireland great and united. Now, will Martin come to our aid in this wise? He ought to be in Parliament for his county. But if he be too indolent, or too happy at home, whom can he send us? And again, what of the borough? They tell me that Kilc.o.c.k, seeing his father's great age, will not stand where a contest might be expected, so that you must necessarily be prepared with another."

Again the writer launched out upon the happiness he felt at being able to appeal thus candidly and freely to his own "dearest kinswoman,"

inviting her to speak as frankly in return, and to believe that no possible difference of political opinion should ever throw a coldness between those whose veins were filled with the same blood, and whose hearts throbbed with the same affections. Her Ladyship's voice slightly faltered as she read out the concluding paragraph, and when she laid the letter down, she turned away her head and moved her handkerchief to her eyes.

As for Martin, he sat still and motionless, his gaze firmly directed to Repton, as though seeking in the impa.s.sive lines of the old lawyer's face for some clew to guide and direct him.

"You used to be a Tory, Martin?" said Repton, after a pause.

"Yes, to be sure, we were always with that party."

"Well, there's an end of them now," said the other. "What's to follow and fill their place, my Lord Reckington may be able to say; I cannot.

I only know that _they_ exist no longer; and the great question for you--at least, one of the great questions--is, have you spirit enough to join a travelling party without knowing whither they 're journeying?"

"And what may be the other great question, sir?" asked Lady Dorothea, haughtily.

"The other is, what will it cost in money--ay, my Lady, in money; because any other outlay will not require searches nor t.i.tle-deeds, loans, mortgages, nor bond-debts."

"To contest the county would cost ten thousand pounds; Scanlan says so,"

rejoined Martin.

"And the borough?" asked Repton.

"A few hundreds would suffice; at least, they have done so hitherto."

"Then remain content with the cheap luxury of the borough," said Repton.

"You don't want anything from these people, Martin. You don't covet a peerage; you would n't accept a baronetcy. You remember what Langton said when told that the King was going to give him the 'Red Hand.' 'If I have been unfortunate enough to incur his Majesty's displeasure, I must deplore it deeply; but surely my innocent son should not be included in the penalty of my offence. Therefore, in all humility, I beseech and entreat the royal favor to commute the sentence into knighthood, so that the disgrace may die with me.'"

"There were times when such insolence would have cost him dearly," said her Ladyship, sternly.

"I am not sorry that we don't live in them, my Lady," replied Repton.

"But to return: as I was saying, you ask for no favors; why should you expend ten or fifteen thousand pounds to advocate views of whose tendencies you know nothing, and principles whose very meaning you are in ignorance of?"

"I antic.i.p.ated every word of this," said Lady Dorothea. "I told Mr.

Martin, this morning, almost literally, the exact advice you'd proffer."

"I am proud that your Ladyship should have read me so justly," said Repton, bowing.

An insolent toss of her head was the significant answer to this speech.

"But were I to speak my mind more candidly, I 'd even say, let the borough go after the county; and for this plain reason," said Repton, speaking with increased firmness and animation, "you neither seek for the ambition of political life, nor want to make a trade of its casualties."

"Is it not possible, sir, that we might desire the natural influence that should arise out of our station in society and our rank in this county?" said Lady Dorothea, proudly.

"And your Ladyship has it, and can never lose it. Having a vote or two to throw into a Ministerial division would never repay you for the anxieties and cares of contested elections. Ah, my Lady, what do _you_ care for the small flatteries of London attentions?"

"We should have these, sir, as our right," broke she in.

"To be sure you would, and much happiness do I hope they would confer,"

added he, in a tone only overheard by Martin; then continued aloud: "As to the patronage at your disposal, would you take a present of it? Whom do you want to make tide-waiters, gaugers, barony-constables, or even clerks of the peace? Of all men living, who is so free of hungry dependants or poor relations!"

"I must say, sir, that you reduce the question of political support to a very intelligible one of material benefit," said her Ladyship, with a sneer; "but, just for argument sake, imagine that there should be such a thing as a little principle in the matter."

"I'm going to that part of the case, my Lady," said Repton. "Martin is a Tory; now, what are the men coming into power? I wish you could tell me. Here, for instance, is one of their own journals,"--and he opened a newspaper and ran his eye over the columns,--"ay, here it is: 'With regard to Ireland, Lord Reckington's appointment as Viceroy is the best guarantee that the rights of Irishmen of every persuasion and every denomination will be respected.' So far so good;" and he read on in a low, humdrum voice for some minutes, till he came to the following: "'No privileged cla.s.s will any longer be tolerated; no exceptional loyalty admitted as an excuse for insufferable oppression and tyranny; the wishes and benefits of the people--the real people of that country--will at length enter into the views of an administration; and Ireland as she is,--not the possible Ireland of factious enthusiasts,--be governed by men determined to redress her grievances and improve her capacities.'

Now, Martin, you want no augur to interpret that oracle. They are going to rule you by the people; but the people must be represented.

"Now, who represents them? Not the demagogue; he is merely their tool.

The real representative is the priest; don't laugh, my dear friend, at such a shadowy possibility; the thing is nearer than you dream of. No administration ever yet tried to govern Ireland except by intimidation.

The Beresfords were undertakers once, and they did their work very well, let me tell you; they advanced their friends and whipped their enemies; and what with peerages for one set, and pitched caps for the other, they ruled Ireland. Then there came the Orangemen, who rather blundered their work; there were too many heads amongst them, and the really clever fellows were overborne by brawling, talkative fools, who always had the ma.s.ses with them because they _were_ fools. Still they ruled Ireland.

They preserved the country to the King's crown; and I say once more, that was no small matter. And now we have arrived at a new era; we have obtained Emanc.i.p.ation, and must look out for another stamp of administrators, and I see nothing for it but the priest. Of course you, and every man of your station, sneer at the notion of being dictated to by Father Luke, in the greasy leather small-clothes and dirty black boots,--only, himself, a cottier once removed, a plant of the wild growth of the fields, cultivated, however, in the hotbeds of Maynooth,--a forcing-house whose fruits you are yet to taste of! Sneer away, Martin; but my name is not Val Repton if those men do not rule Ireland yet! Ay, sir, and rule it in such a fashion as your haughty Beresfords and Tottenhams, and Tisdalls never dreamed of! They 'll treat with the Government on equal terms,--so much, for so much; and, what's more, it won't be higgling for a place here, or a peerage there; but they'll have the price paid down in hard legislative coin,--Acts of Parliament, sir; privileges for themselves and their order, benefits to 'the Church;' and, when nothing better or more tempting offers, insults and slights to their antagonists. You, and all like you, will be pa.s.sed over as if you never existed; the minister will not need you; you'll be so many general officers on the retired list, and only remarked when you swell the crowd at a levee."

"So, sir, according to this special prediction of yours, we have nothing left us but to live on our estates, enjoy what we can of our fortunes, and leave the interests of the nation to those our inferiors in rank, station, and property?"

"Such a period as your Ladyship has pictured forth--a little strongly, perhaps--is before you. Whether the interval be destined to be long or short, will, in great measure, depend upon yourselves."

"That agrees with what Scanlan said the other day," said Martin.

"Scanlan!" echoed her Ladyship, with most profound contempt.

"Who is this Scanlan?" asked Repton.

"There he comes to answer for himself," said Martin. "The fellow drives neatly. See how cleverly he swept round that sharp turn! He may be 'at fault' about the world of politics; but, _my_ word for it! he is a rare judge of a hack."

"And, now that you suggest it," said Repton, musingly, "what an instinctive shrewdness there is on every subject,--I don't care what it is,--about fellows that deal in horse flesh. The practice of buying and selling, searching out flaws here, detecting defects there, gives a degree of suspectful sharpness in all transactions; besides that, really none but a naturally clever fellow ever graduates in the stable.

You smile, my Lady; but some of our very first men have achieved the triumphs of the turf."

"Shall we have Scanlan in and hear the news?" asked Martin.

"Not here. If you please, you may receive him in the library or your own room."

"Then, come along, Repton. We can resume this affair in the afternoon or to-morrow." And, without waiting for a reply, he pa.s.sed his arm within the other's, and led him away. "You have been too abrupt with her, Repton; you have not made due allowances for her attachment to family influences," said he, in a whisper, as they went along.

Repton smiled half contemptuously.

"Oh, it's all very easy for you to laugh, my dear fellow; but, trust me, there's nothing to be done with my Lady in that fashion."

"Turn the flank,--eh?" said the old lawyer, slyly. "Ah, Martin, don't teach _me_ how to deal with humanity. If you have not the courage to tell your wife that your estate cannot bear fresh enc.u.mbrances, new loans, and new debts--"

"Hush!" said Martin, cautiously.

"Then, I say, let me prevent the casualty, that's all."