Lady Rosina came and no doubt did think it odd. But she did not say so, and it really did seem to the Duchess as though all her vengeance had been blown away by the winds. And she too laughed at the matter--to herself, and began to feel less cross and less perverse. The world did not come to an end because she and her husband with Lady Rosina and her boy and the private Secretary sat down to dinner every day together. The parish clergyman with the neighbouring squire and his wife and daughter did come one day,--to the relief of M. Millepois, who had begun to feel that the world had collapsed. And every day at a certain hour the Duke and Lady Rosina walked together for an hour and a half in the park. The Duchess would have enjoyed it, instead of suffering, could she only have had her friend, Mrs. Finn, to hear her jokes. "Now, Plantagenet," she said, "do tell me one thing. What does she talk about?" "The troubles of her family generally, I think." "That can't last for ever." "She wears cork soles to her boots and she thinks a good deal about them." "And you listen to her?" "Why not? I can talk about cork soles as well as anything else. Anything that may do material good to the world at large, or even to yourself privately, is a fit subject for conversation to rational people." "I suppose I never was one of them." "But I can talk upon anything," continued the Duke, "as long as the talker talks in good faith and does not say things that should not be said, or deal with matters that are offensive. I could talk for an hour about bankers' accounts, but I should not expect a stranger to ask me the state of my own. She has almost persuaded me to send to Mr. Sprout of Silverbridge and get some cork soles myself." "Don't do anything of the kind," said the Duchess with animation;--as though she had secret knowledge that cork soles were specially fatal to the family of the Pallisers. "Why not, my dear?" "He was the man who especially, above all others, threw me over at Silverbridge." Then again there came upon his brow that angry frown which during the last few days had been dissipated by the innocence of Lady Rosina's conversation. "Of course I don't mean to ask you to take any interest in the borough again. You have said that you wouldn't, and you are always as good as your word." "I hope so." "But I certainly would not employ a tradesman just at your elbow who has directly opposed what was generally understood in the town to be your interests." "What did Mr. Sprout do? This is the first I have heard of it." "He got Mr. Du Boung to stand against Mr. Lopez." "I am very glad for the sake of the borough that Mr. Lopez did not get in." "So am I. But that is nothing to do with it. Mr. Sprout knew at any rate what my wishes were, and went directly against them." "You were not entitled to have wishes in the matter, Glencora."