"My father does not take it in bad part at all," said Silverbridge.
"Perhaps he's ratting himself," said the Earl. "When a man lends himself to a coalition he is as good as half gone."
"I do not think that in all England there is so thorough a Liberal as my father," said Lord Silverbridge. "And when I say that he doesn't take this badly, I don't mean that it doesn't vex him. I know it vexes him. But he doesn't quarrel with me. He even wrote down to Barsetshire to say that all my expenses at Silverbridge were to be paid."
"I call that very bad politics," said the Earl.
"It seems to me to be very grand," said Frank.
"Perhaps, sir, you don't know what is good or what is bad in politics," said the Earl, trying to snub his guest.
But it was difficult to snub Frank. "I know a gentleman when I see him, I think," he said. "Of course Silverbridge is right to be a Conservative. Nobody has a stronger opinion about that than I have. But the Duke is behaving so well that if I were he I should almost regret it."
"And so I do," said Silverbridge.
When the ladies were gone the old Earl turned himself round to the fire, having filled his glass and pushed the bottles away from him, as though he meant to leave the two young men to themselves. He sat leaning with his head on his hand, looking the picture of woe. It was now only nine o'clock, and there would be no whist at the Beaufort till eleven. There was still more than an hour to be endured before the brougham would come to fetch him. "I suppose we shall have a majority," said Frank, trying to rouse him.
"Who does 'We' mean?" asked the Earl.