And though sorrow may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning; and this is specially true in youth. When Kate awoke, the sun was shining, and the care and ache was gone from her heart. "He giveth His Beloved sleep," and thus some angel had certainly comforted her, though she knew it not. With a cheerful heart she dressed and went into the breakfast-room, and there she saw her father standing on the hearthrug, with _The Times_ open in his hand. He looked at her over its pages with beaming eyes, and she ran to him and took the paper away, and nestling to his heart, said, "she would have no rival, first thing in the morning." And the proud father stroked her hair, and kissed her lips, and answered her, "Rival was not born yet, and never would be born; and that he was only seeing if them newspaper fellows had told lies about Piers." "Piers!" cried Mrs. Atheling, entering the room at the moment, "what about Piers?" "Well, Mother, the lad had his say last night; but, Dal it! Mr. Brougham went at the Government and the Electors as if they were all of them wearing the devil's livery. I call it scandalous! It was nothing else. He let on to be preaching for Reform, but he was just preaching for Henry Brougham." "What was Mr. Brougham talking about, Father?" "Mr. Brougham can talk about nothing but Reform, Kitty, the right of every man to vote as seems good in his own eyes. He said peers and landowners influenced and prejudiced votes in a way that was outrageous and not to be borne, and a lot more words of the same kind; for Henry Brougham would lose his speech if he had anything pleasant to say. I was going to get up and give him a bit of my mind, when Piers rose; and the cool way in which he fixed his eye-glass, and looked Mr. Brougham up and down, and straight in the face, set us all by the ears. He was every inch of him, then and there, the future Duke of Richmoor; and he told Brougham, in a very sarcastic way, that his opinions were silly, and would neither bear the test of reason nor of candid examination." "But, Father, I thought Mr. Brougham was the great man of the Commons, and held in much honour." "Well, my little maid, he may be; but I'll warrant it is only by people who have their own reasons for worshipping the devil." "Come, come, John! If I was thee, I would be silent until I could be just." "Not thou, Maude! Right or wrong, thou wouldst say thy say. I think I ought to know thee by this time." "Never mind me, John. We want to hear what Piers said."