Page:English laws for women in the nineteenth century.djvu/80

68 ''with respect to that part of the household which is filled by noblemen or gentlemen holding seats in either House of Parliament. The difficulty arose with respect to certain portions of that part of the establishment which is filled by the ladies of the household''."

The influence which the Tory ladies expected to exercise, may be judged of by this circumstance; "which the Tory Leader held to be of sufficient importance to decide his non-acceptance of ministerial power. When I complained to Lord Melbourne that the lady expectant I have alluded to, took an active part against me:—his answer was,—"Not against you—none of them care about you; it is against me,—and she, in particular, has always hated me like poison."

From him. I learned, that when on one occasion, whilst her Majesty's carriages were passing over the race-ground at Ascot, some of the Tory Ladies hissed (which caused great scandal), those ladies excused themselves by saying, they "intended no disrespect to the Queen, for that they had hissed, not Her Majesty, but her Majesty's Minister Lord Melbourne.'" From him I learned, also, many speeches and sentiments from other ladies, which I should not else have known: and I confess that the conduct of some of these female Politicians—their capacity for bitter partisanship, and incapacity for common justice—amazed me. I was young enough then, to expect the sympathy of all women; and I was astonished at finding ladies whose children were my contemporaries, looking upon me not only without pity, but with anger, as something that was to have wrecked the Whig Prime Minister, and had failed to accomplish that object. Fortunately for me, kindness was the rule, and harshness the exception. If misfortune taught me some bitter lessons, it also taught me the nobleness of hearts on which I had no claim. Fortunately also for me, I had true and generous sisters,—and a family whose love and protection almost annulled the bitterness of these events!