"Well, duchess," said Dowbiggin, "and what then? Let his grace show me his superiority. I am ready to do anything for him--but please to recollect I asked him yesterday, when I _did_ remove the coffee, to tell me what the Altaic chain is called, when, after having united all the rivers which supply the Jenisei, it stretches as far as the Baikal lake--and what did he answer? he made a French pun, and said '_Je ne sais pas, Dobiggin_'--now, if it can be shown by any statute that I, who am perfectly competent to answer any question I propose, am first to be put off with a quibble by way of reply; and secondly, to be required to work for a man who does not know as much as I do myself, merely because he is a duke, why, I'll do it; but if not, I will resist in a constitutional manner such illiberal oppression, and such ridiculous control, even though I am transported to Scotland for it. Now, Lady Maria, go on with the tree." "Willy," said the duke to his son, "when you have put away your small-clothes, go and ask Mr. Martingale if he will be kind enough to let the horses be put to our carriage, since the duchess and I wish to go to mass." "You need not send to Martingale," said Dowbiggin; "he is gone to the Society of Arts to hear a lecture on astronomy." "Then, Willy, go and endeavour to harness the horses yourself," said the duke to his son, who instantly obeyed. "You had better mind about those horses, sir," said Dowbiggin, still watching the progress of his tree; "the two German philosophers and Father O'Flynn have been with them to-day, and there appears little doubt that the great system will spread, and that even these animals which we have been taught to despise, will express their sentiments before long." "The sentiments of a coach-horse!" sighed the duchess. "Thanks, Lady Maria," said Dowbiggin; "now I'll go to work merrily; and, duke, whenever you can fudge up an answer to my question about the Altaic chain, send one of the girls, and I'll take away the things." Dowbiggin disappeared, and the duke, who was anxious to get the parlour cleared (for the house, except two rooms, was all appropriated to the assistants), resolved to inquire of his priest, when he was out, what the proper answer would be to Dowbiggin's question, which he had tried to evade by the offensive quibble, when Lord William Cobbett Russell re-appeared, as white as a sheet. "My dear father," cried his lordship, "it's all over now. The philosophers have carried the thing too far; the chestnut mare swears she'll be d--d if she goes out to-day." "What," said the duke, "has their liberality gone to this--do horses talk? My dear William, you and I know that asses have written before this; but for horses to speak!" "Perhaps, Willy," said the duchess, "it is merely yea and nay, or probably only the female horses who talk at all."