"Mr. Curry," said her ladyship, "the young person who is good enough to look after our horses, had a dispute with the lady who assists Mr. Biggs in dressing the dinner for us, whether it was necessary at chess to say check to the queen when the queen was in danger or not. I was unable to decide the question, and I assure you I got so terribly laughed at, that I ran away as fast as I could." "Was Duggins in the assistants' drawing-room, my love?" said the duke. "No," said Lady Maria. "I wanted him to take a message for me," said his grace, in a sort of demi-soliloquy. "I'm sure he cannot go, then," said Lady Maria, "because I know he is gone to the House of Parliament (there was but one at that time), for he told the other gentleman who cleans the plate, that he could not be back to attend at dinner, however consonant with his wishes, because he had promised to wait for the division." "Ah," sighed the duke, "this comes of his having been elected for Westminster." At this moment Lord William Cobbett Russell made his appearance, extremely hot and evidently tired, having under his arm a largish parcel. "What have you there, Willy?" said her grace. "My new breeches," said his lordship;--"I have called upon the worthy citizen who made them, over and over again, and never could get them, for of course I could not expect him to send them, and he is always either at the academy or the gymnasium: however, to-day I caught him just as he was in a hot debate with a gentleman who was cleaning his windows, as to whether the solidity of a prism is equal to the product of its base by its altitude. I confess I was pleased to catch him at home; but unluckily the question was referred to me, and not comprehending it, I was deucedly glad to get off, which I did as fast as I could, both parties calling after me--'There is a lord for you--look at my lord!'--and hooting me in a manner which, however constitutional, I cannot help thinking deucedly disagreeable." At this period, what in former times was called a footman, named Dowbiggin, made his appearance, who entered the room, as the duke hoped, to remove the breakfast-things--but it was, in fact, to ask Lady Maria to sketch in a tree in a landscape, which he was in the course of painting. "Dowbiggin," said his grace in despair, "I wish you would take away these breakfast-things." "Indeed!" said Dowbiggin, looking at the duke with the most ineffable contempt--"you do--that's capital--what right have you to ask me to do any such thing?" "Why, Mr. Dowbiggin," said the duchess, who was a bit of a tartar in her way--"his grace pays you, and feeds you, and clothes you, to----"