Tregear, when he received the note from Mrs Finn, was staying at
the Duke's house in Carlton Terrace. Silverbridge was there, and,
on leaving Matching, had asked the Duke's permission to have his
friend with him. The Duke at that time was not well pleased with
his son as to the matter of politics, and gave his son's friend
credit for the evil counsel which had produced his displeasure.
But still he had not refused his consent to this proposition. Had
he done so, Silverbridge would probably have gone elsewhere: and
though there was a matter in respect to Tregear of which the Duke
disapproved, it was not a matter, as he thought, which would have
justified him in expelling the young man from his house. The young
man was a strong Conservative; and now Silverbridge had declared
his purpose of entering the House of Commons, if he did enter it,
as one of the Conservative party.

This had been a terrible blow to the Duke; and he believed that it
all came from the young Tregear. Still he must do his duty, and
not more than his duty. He knew nothing against Tregear. That a
Tregear should be a Conservative was natural enough--at any rate,
was not disgraceful; that he should have his political creed
sufficiently at heart to be able to persuade another man, was to
his credit. He was a gentleman, well educated, superior in many
things to Silverbridge himself. There were those who said that
Silverbridge had redeemed himself from contempt--from that sort of
contempt which might be supposed to await a young nobleman who had
painted scarlet the residence of the Head of his college--by the
fact of his having chosen such a friend. The Duke was essentially
a just man; and though, at the very moment in which the request
was made, his heart was half crushed by his son's apostasy, he
gave the permission asked.