Send for Lord Chiltern, and
speak to him."
"Speak to Chiltern! Never! He would probably strike me on the head
with his club."
"Call on the Earl yourself."
"I did, and he would not see me."
"Write to him."
"I did, and he sent back my letter unopened."
"Write to her."
"I did;--and she answered me, saying only thus; 'Indeed, indeed, it
cannot be so.' But it must be so. The laws of God require it, and the
laws of man permit it. I want some one to point out that to them more
softly than I could do if I were simply to write to that effect. To
the Earl, of course, I cannot write again." The conference ended by a
promise from Phineas that he would, if possible, say a word to Lady
Laura.
When he was shown into Lord Brentford's drawing-room he found not
only Lady Laura there, but her brother. Lord Brentford was not in
the room. Barrington Erle was there, and so also were Lord and Lady
Cantrip.
"Is not your father going to be here?" he said to Lady Laura, after
their first greeting.
"We live in that hope," said she, "and do not at all know why he
should be late. What has become of him, Oswald?"
"He came in with me half an hour ago, and I suppose he does not
dress as quickly as I do," said Lord Chiltern; upon which Phineas
immediately understood that the father and the son were reconciled,
and he rushed to the conclusion that Violet and her lover would also
soon be reconciled, if such were not already the case.
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