When it was known among outside politicians that the Duke of St. Bungay was staying at Matching Priory, outside politicians became more sure than ever that Mr. Palliser would be the new Chancellor of the Exchequer. The old minister and the young minister were of course arranging matters together. But I doubt whether Mr. Palliser and the Duke ever spoke on any such topic during the entire visit. Though Mr. Bott was occasionally closeted with Mr. Palliser, the Duke never troubled himself with such closetings. He went out shooting--on his pony, read his newspaper, wrote his notes, and looked with the eye of a connoisseur over all Mr. Palliser's farming apparatus. "You seem to have a good man, I should say," said the Duke. "What! Hubbings? Yes;--he was a legacy from my uncle when he gave me up the Priory." "A very good man, I should say. Of course he won't make it pay; but he'll make it look as though it did;--which is the next best thing. I could never get rent out of land that I farmed myself,--never." "I suppose not," said Mr. Palliser, who did not care much about it. The Duke would have talked to him by the hour together about farming had Mr. Palliser been so minded; but he talked to him very little about politics. Nor during the whole time of his stay at Matching did the Duke make any other allusion to Mr. Palliser's hopes as regarded the ministry, than that in which he had told Lady Glencora at the dinner-table that her husband's ambition was the highest by which any man could be moved.

When it was known that the Duke of St. Bungay was staying at Matching Priory, people became more sure than ever that Mr. Palliser would be the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, and that the old minister and the young one were arranging matters together. But I doubt whether the two ever spoke on the topic during the entire visit. The Duke went out shooting, read his newspaper, and looked with a connoisseur's eye over all Mr. Palliser's farming apparatus.
"You seem to have a good man, I should say," said the Duke. "Of course he won't make it pay, but he'll make it look as though it did; which is the next best thing."
"I suppose so," said Mr. Palliser, who did not care much about it. The Duke would have talked to him by the hour together about farming if he could; but he talked very little about politics.
