“His majesty!” cried Lord Oldborough: “His majesty could not, I trust, for a moment imagine these letters to be I mine?”
“But for the hand and seal which I understood your lordship to acknowledge, I am persuaded his majesty could not have believed it.”
“Believed! My king! did he believe it?” cried Lord Oldborough. His agitation was for a moment excessive, uncontrollable. “No! that I will never credit, till I have it from his own lips.” Then commanding himself, “Your grace will have the goodness to leave these letters with me till to-morrow.”
His grace, with infinite politeness and regret, was under the necessity of refusing this request. His orders were only to show the letters to his lordship, and then to restore them to the hands of the member of opposition who had laid them before his majesty.
Lord Oldborough took off the cover of one of the letters, on which was merely the address and seal. The address was written also at the bottom of the letter enclosed, therefore the cover could not be of the least importance. The duke could not, Lord Oldborough said, refuse to leave this with him.
To this his grace agreed—protesting that he was far from wishing to make difficulties. If there were any thing else he could do—any thing his lordship would wish to have privately insinuated or publicly said—
His lordship, with proud thanks, assured the duke he did not wish to have any thing privately insinuated; and whatever it was necessary to say or do publicly, he should do himself, or give orders to have done. His lordship entered into no farther explanation. The duke at last was obliged to take his leave, earnestly hoping and trusting that this business would terminate to his lordship’s entire satisfaction.
No sooner was the duke gone than Lord Oldborough rang for his carriage.
“Immediately—and Mr. Temple, instantly.”
Whilst his carriage was coming to the door, in the shortest manner possible Lord Oldborough stated the facts to his secretary, that letters had been forged in his lordship’s name, promising to certain persons promotion in the army—and navy—gratification—and pensions. Some were addressed to persons who had actually obtained promotion, shortly after the time of these letters; others contained reproaches for having been ill-used. Even from the rapid glance Lord Oldborough had taken of these papers, he had retained the names of several of the persons to whom they were addressed—and the nature of the promotion obtained. They were persons who could have had no claim upon an honest minister. His lordship left a list of them with Mr. Temple—also the cover of the letter, on which was a specimen of the forged writing and the private seal.