“I was no party in the compact you allege, nor. I dare to say, was Mr. Pitt,” said Lord Castlereagh, proudly; but, momentarily resuming his former tone, he went on: “The Prime Minister, doubtless, knew how valuable the lesson might be to a young man entering on public life which should teach him not to lay too much store by his own powers of acuteness, not to trust too implicitly to his own qualities of shrewdness and perception; and that, by well reflecting on the aid he received from others, he might see how little the subtraction would leave for his own peculiar amount of skill. In this way I have to acknowledge myself greatly Mr. Heffernan's debtor, since, without the aid of this document, I should never have recognized how ignorant I was of every party and every public man in Ireland; how dependent on his good guidance; how I never failed save in rejecting, never succeeded save in profiting by his wise and politic counsels.” “Is your Lordship prepared to deny these assertions?” said Heffernan, with an imperturbable coolness. “Am I not avowing my grateful sense of them?” said Lord Castlereagh, smiling blandly. “I feel only the more deeply your debtor, because, till now, I never knew the debt,--both principal and interest must be paid together; but seriously, Heffernan, if you wanted office, was I not the proper channel to have used in asking for it? Why disparage your pupil while extolling your system?” “You did my system but little credit, my Lord,” replied Heffernan, with an accent as unmoved as before; “you bought votes when you should have bought the voters themselves; you deemed the Bill of Union the consummation of Irish policy,--it is only the first act of the piece. You were not the first general who thought he beat the enemy when he drove in the pickets.” “Would my tactics have been better had I made one of my spies a major-general, Mr. Heffernan?” said Lord Castlereagh, sneeringly. “Safer, my lord,--far safer,” said Heffernan, “for he might not have exposed you afterwards. But I think this is my hotel; and I must say it is the first time in my life that I have closed an interview with your Lordship without regret.” “Am I to hope it will be the last?” said Lord Castle-reagh, laughing. “The last interview, my Lord, or the last occasion of regretting its shortness?” said Heffernan, with a slight anxiety of voice. “Whichever Mr. Heffernan opines most to his advantage,” was the cool reply. “The former, with your permission, my Lord,” said Heffernan, as a flush suffused his cheek. “I wish your Lordship a very good night.” “Good-night, good-night! Stay, Thomas, Mr. Heffernan has forgotten his gloves.” “Thanks, my Lord; they were not left as a gage of battle, I assure you.” “I feel certain of it,” said Lord Castlereagh, laughing. “Good-night, once more.” The carriage rolled on, and Mr. Heffernan stood for an instant gazing after it through the gloom.