Lady Linlithgow's visit to her niece had been made on a Thursday, and on
that same evening Frank Greystock had asked his question in the House of
Commons--or rather had made his speech about the Sawab of Mygawb. We all
know the meaning of such speeches. Had not Frank belonged to the party
that was out, and had not the resistance to the Sawab's claim come from
the party that was in, Frank would not probably have cared much about the
prince. We may be sure that he would not have troubled himself to read a
line of that very dull and long pamphlet of which he had to make himself
master before he could venture to stir in the matter, had not the road of
Opposition been open to him in that direction. But what exertion will not
a politician make with the view of getting the point of his lance within
the joints of his enemies' harness? Frank made his speech, and made it
very well. It was just the case for a lawyer, admitting that kind of
advocacy which it is a lawyer's business to practise. The Indian minister
of the day, Lord Fawn's chief, had determined, after much anxious
consideration, that it was his duty to resist the claim; and then, for
resisting it, he was attacked. Had he yielded to the claim, the attack
would have been as venomous, and very probably would have come from the
same quarter. No blame by such an assertion is cast upon the young
Conservative aspirant for party honours. It is thus the war is waged.
Frank Greystock took up the Sawab's case, and would have drawn mingled
tears and indignation from his hearers, had not his hearers all known the
conditions of the contest. On neither side did the hearers care much for
the Sawab's claims, but they felt that Greystock was making good his own
claims to some future reward from his party. He was very hard upon the
minister, and he was hard also upon Lord Fawn, stating that the cruelty of
Government ascendancy had never been put forward as a doctrine in plainer
terms than those which had been used in "another place" in reference to
the wrongs of this poor ill-used native chieftain. This was very grievous
to Lord Fawn, who had personally desired to favour the ill-used chieftain;