"Thou art right, my love," St. Ermins supported her. "And 'twas a thousand pities that when His Grace of Portland formed the new Coalition with Mr. Pitt, he did not insist upon someone more capable being given the Admiralty."
Droopy Ned could not resist remarking with just a trace of malice, "Your leader, Charles, was so concerned with grabbing the lion's share of patronage for himself that he could think of nought else."
St. Ermins only laughed and retorted: "We Whigs were overdue for some of the spoils of office, and those secured by His Grace are but a part of the monopoly enjoyed by Henry Dundas under the Tory administration."
"Maybe, my lord; but Dundas is shrewd, immensely capable and has an insatiable appetite for work, whereas the Duke is a very mediocre man, and owes his new office entirely to the influence he wields as a political figure-head."
Having so recently returned from France, Roger knew little about the changes in the Cabinet which had taken place in the preceding month, so at his request his friends enlightened him.
In the early years of the Revolution the sympathies of nearly everyone in Britain, and particularly the Whig party, had been with the French nobles and professional men of liberal views, who had endeavoured to force King Louis into granting a Constitution, and abolishing the many abuses to which the lower classes had been subject since the Middle Ages. But as the Revolution began to degenerate into class warfare, mob rule, and nation-wide attacks on religion, property and life, the upper and middle classes of England had gradually become more and more opposed to the new regime.
Charles Fox had, from the beginning, championed the revolutionaries and continued to do so even after war against France had been declared, using his brilliant oratory with complete unscrupulous-ness to embarrass the Government at every opportunity; but Edmund Burke, his friend and colleague of long standing in the Whig opposition, differed violently from him on that subject and had made known his views in 'Reflections on the Revolution'. This publication had had an enormous circulation, and as it set forth very clearly how the triumph of the Jacobins would result in all Europe falling into a state of atheism and anarchy, it had not only convinced great numbers of waverers among the middle-classes but deprived Fox of the support of the majority of his own party.
With the discrediting of Fox it had soon become apparent that all the sounder Whigs were as much in favour of a vigorous prosecution of the war as were the Tories; so Pitt, with a view to strengthening his administration, had agreed with their leader, Portland, to form a Coalition. Early in July the Duke had been given the Home Office, William Windham had been made Secretary of War, and the Earls Fitzwilliam and Spencer became Lord President and Lord Privy Seal. At the Admiralty Pitt had kept his elder brother, and at the Foreign Office, his cousin, Lord Grenville, while his indefatigable man-of-all-work, Dundas, had been allowed to retain the India and Colonial Offices and as compensation for giving up the Home Secretaryship had been made what amounted to Minister of Defence.
These changes had required the most delicate negotiations, as on the one hand Pitt was determined not to sacrifice the more valuable of his old colleagues and, on the other, the powerful Whig nobility was out to grab all it could get The Viceroyalty of Ireland and several other valuable posts were still bones of contention, and as Roger listened to the accounts of the intrigues which had been taking place it was borne in upon him that his ex-master had been having an extremely worrying time; so after a while, he remarked:
"What you tell me may well account for the lack of consideration Mr. Pitt showed me this morning in refusing me a new mission to my liking. 'Tis obvious that so many cares have temporarily blunted his sensibilities; but with all due respect to you, Charles, I am inclined to wonder if this taking in of your Whig friends will make things any easier for him in the long run.
"I think it will," replied St Fjmins, "for once these domestic matters are settled he will meet with little opposition in either House, and so be freed to give a much greater share of his mind to the war."
Colonel Thursby nodded. "There is something in that, but it will not free him from his worst embarrassment. I refer to the troubles that our English Jacobins have been stirring up in all the centres of industry. 'Tis true that they will now be able to voice their disloyal sentiments in Parliament only through Fox and a handful of irresponsible radicals, but such bodies as the London Corresponding Society and the Methodists are becoming a menace to the State. Had not those four days of burning, pillaging and murder while the mob wrought its evil will in London during the Gordon riots proved a danger signal to honest artisans, we might well have already had a revolution here. Yet* even so, the numbers of those malcontents increase daily, and they abuse the freedom we, in this country, enjoy both to preach sedition openly and publish pamphlets by the thousand advocating that Britain should become a republic. Their activities must be a matter of grave concern to government, yet short of instituting tyrannous methods of repression which would be abnoxious to us all, there seems no way to check them."
Roger was now beginning to feel that he had been unfair in expecting Mr. Pitt to take a realistic view of the war when he evidently had so many matters on his mind that it must be near impossible for even the finest brain to see them all in their proper perspective. As he was about to say so, the clopping of horses' hoofs approaching at a swift trot caused a sudden silence round the table. A moment later they came to a halt outside the front gate. Roger glanced quickly at Amanda, but she shook her head to show that she had no idea whom then-visitor might be. Then Dan came hurrying in. His dark eyes were bright with excitement as he exclaimed with his broad Hampshire accent:
"I could scarcely believe me eyes, Master! But 'tis the great Billy Pitt himself be outside askin' for 'e."
Quickly excusing himself, Roger hurried from the room and out of the house down the short garden path. There, sure enough, sitting bolt upright on the back seat of his carriage, as though he had not moved a muscle since Roger had last seen him, was the Prime Minister. But now to Roger's bow he replied by a slight inclination of the head; then, holding out a large envelope towards him, he said briskly:
"Mr. Brook, I am come from Kew, where I spoke with His Majesty upon our affairs in the West Indies. Since you are set upon going there I suggested that you should carry this document with you. His Majesty desired me to express to you his hope that the voyage will restore you to health; and with that hope may I couple my own, that new interests in the tropics will soon erase from your mind the distressing experiences you met with while in France."
Taking the envelope Roger bowed again, and replied: "I am much indebted to you, Sir, for conveying to me His Majesty's most gracious message, and for your own good wishes. Naturally I shall be honoured to act as His Majesty's courier, and still more so if you will now step inside and join us in a glass of wine."
The Prime Minister's lined face lit up in one of his rare smiles, but he shook his head. "I thank you, no. I have urgent affairs requiring my attention at Holwood; so you must excuse me." Then he pulled the string attached to the little finger of his coachman, and a moment later the carriage was bowling away down the road.
It was just after seven o'clock, and in the deepening twilight the superscription on the big envelope had not stood out clearly enough for Roger to read it at the first glance. Now, as he held it up, he saw with some surprise that it was addressed to himself. Hurrying into the lighted hall, he tore it open and ran his eye swiftly over the thick parchment it contained. When he had read only a few lines he gave a gasp of amazement. It was a Royal Commission appointing him Governor of the newly-won island of Martinique.