The Eustace Diamonds

of the day, Lord Fawn’s chief, had determined, after much anxious consideration, that it was his duty to resist the claim; and then, for resisting it, he was attacked. Had he yielded to the claim, the attack would have been as venomous, and very probably would have come from the same quarter. No blame by such an assertion is cast upon the young Conservative aspirant for party honours. It is thus the war is waged. Frank Greystock took up the Sawab’s case, and would have drawn mingled tears and indignation from his hearers, had not his hearers all known the conditions of the contest. On neither side did the hearers care much for the Sawab’s claims, but they felt that Greystock was making good his own claims to some future reward from his party. He was very hard upon the minister⁠—and he was hard also upon Lord Fawn, stating that the cruelty of Government ascendancy had never been put forward as a doctrine in plainer terms than those which had been used in “another place” in reference to the wrongs of this poor ill-used native chieftain. This was very grievous to Lord Fawn, who had personally desired to favour the ill-used chieftain;⁠—and harder again because he and Greystock were intimate with each other. He felt the thing keenly, and was full of his grievance when, in accordance with his custom, he came down to Fawn Court on the Saturday evening.

The Fawn family, which consisted entirely of women, dined early. On Saturdays, when his lordship would come down, a dinner was prepared for him alone. On Sundays they all dined together at three o’clock. On Sunday evening Lord Fawn would return to town to prepare himself for his Monday’s work. Perhaps, also, he disliked the sermon which Lady Fawn always read to the assembled household at nine o’clock on Sunday evening. On this Saturday he came out into the grounds after dinner, where the oldest unmarried daughter, the present Miss Fawn, was walking with Lucy Morris. It was almost a summer evening;⁠—so much so, that some of the party had been sitting on the garden benches, and four of the girls were still playing croquet on the lawn, though there was hardly light enough to see the balls. Miss Fawn had already told Lucy that her brother was very angry with Mr. Greystock. Now, Lucy’s sympathies were all with Frank and the Sawab. She had endeavoured, indeed, and had partially succeeded, in perverting the Undersecretary. Nor did she now intend to change her opinions, although all the Fawn girls, and Lady Fawn, were against her. When a brother or a son is an Undersecretary of State, sisters and mothers will constantly be on the side of the Government, so far as that Undersecretary’s office is concerned.

“Upon my word, Frederic,” said Augusta Fawn, “I do think Mr. Greystock was too bad.”

“There’s nothing these fellows won’t say or do,” exclaimed Lord Fawn. “I can’t understand it myself. When I’ve been in opposition, I never did that kind of thing.”

“I wonder whether it was because he is angry with mamma,” said Miss Fawn. Everybody who knew the Fawns knew that Augusta Fawn was not clever, and that she would occasionally say the very thing that ought not to be said.

“Oh, dear, no,” said the Undersecretary, who could not endure the idea that the weak women-kind of his family should have, in any way, an influence on the august doings of Parliament.

“You know mamma did⁠—”

“Nothing of that kind at all,” said his lordship, putting down his sister with great authority. “Mr. Greystock is simply not an honest politician. That is about the whole of it. He chose to attack me because there was an opportunity. There isn’t a man in either House who cares for such things, personally, less than I do;”⁠—had his lordship said “more than he did,” he might, perhaps, have been correct;⁠—“but I can’t bear the feeling. The fact is, a lawyer never understands what is and what is not fair fighting.”

Lucy felt her face tingling with heat, and was preparing to say a word in defence of that special lawyer, when Lady Fawn’s voice was heard from the drawing-room window. “Come in, girls. It’s nine o’clock.” In that house Lady Fawn reigned supreme, and no one ever doubted, for a moment, as to obedience. The clicking of the balls ceased, and those who were walking immediately turned their faces to the drawing-room window. But Lord Fawn, who was not one of the girls, took another turn by himself, thinking of the wrongs he had endured.

“Frederic is so angry about Mr. Greystock,” said Augusta, as soon as they were seated.

“I do feel that it was provoking,” said the second sister.

“And considering that Mr. Greystock has so often been here, I don’t think it was kind,” said the third.

Lydia did not speak, but could not refrain from glancing her eyes at Lucy’s face. “I believe everything is considered fair in Parliament,” said Lady Fawn.

Then Lord Fawn, who had heard the last words, entered through the window. “I don’t know about that, mother,” said he. “Gentleman-like conduct is the same everywhere. There are things that may be said and there are things which may not. Mr. Greystock has altogether gone beyond the usual limits, and I shall take care that he knows my opinion.”

“You are not going to quarrel with the man?” asked the mother.

“I am not going to fight him, if you mean that; but I shall let him know that I think that he has transgressed.” This his lordship said with that haughty superiority which a man may generally display with safety among the women of his own family.

Lucy had borne a great deal, knowing well that it was better that she should bear such injury in silence;⁠—but there was a point beyond which she could not endure it. It was intolerable to her that Mr. Greystock’s character as a gentleman should be impugned before all the ladies of the family, every