Hey? Hey, Vivian? and can see through him with half an eye, I can tell him.--Wants to get Lady Sarah--Yes, yes; but never came near us till we lost my poor boy--he won’t win Lady Sarah either, or I’m much mistaken. Did you observe how jealous he was of you?--Right!--right!--he has penetration!--Stay, stay! you don’t know Marmaduke yet--don’t know half his schemes. How his brow clouded when we were talking of the election! I must hint to you, he has been sounding me upon that matter; he has a great mind to stand for this county--talks of starting at the first day of the poll. I told him it could not do, as I was engaged to you. He answered, that of course was only a conditional promise, in case none of my own relations stood. I fought shy, and he pressed confoundedly.--Gad! he would put me in a very awkward predicament, if he was really to stand! for you know what the world would say, if they saw me opposing my own nephew, a rising young man, and not for a relation either; and Marmaduke Lidhurst is just your deep fellow to plan such a thing and execute it, not caring at what or whose expense. I can tell him, however, I am not a man to be bullied out of my interest, or to be outwitted either.--Stand firm, Vivian, my good friend, and I’ll stand by you; depend on me!--I only wish----” Here his lordship paused. “But I cannot say more to you now; for here is my precious heir-at-law coming to break up the confederacy. I’ll ride over and see you to-morrow;--now, let us all be mute before Marmaduke, our master politician, as becomes us--Hey! Vivian? Hey?” Notwithstanding this sort of jealousy of Marmaduke, and the bravadoing style in which Lord Glistonbury spoke of him, he spoke to him in a very different manner: it was apparent to Vivian that his lordship was under some awe of his nephew, and that, whilst he cherished this secret dislike, he dreaded coming to any open rupture with a man who was, as his lordship apprehended, so well able to make his own party good in the world. When Marmaduke did emerge from that depth of thought in which he generally seemed to be sunk, and when he did condescend to converse, or rather to speak, his theme was always of persons in power, or his sarcasms against those who never would obtain it; from any one thing he asserted, it could never be proved, but, from all he said, it might be inferred, that he valued human qualities and talents merely as they could, or could not, obtain a price in the political market. The power of speaking in public, as it is a means in England of acquiring all other species of power, he deemed the first of Heaven’s gifts; and successful parliamentary speakers were the only persons of whom he expressed admiration. As Vivian had spoken, and had been listened to in the House of Commons, he was in this respect an object of Marmaduke Lidhurst’s envy; but this envy was mitigated by contempt for our hero’s want of perseverance in ambition.