Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/99

 Sir Charles also wrote the following from Nice to H. H., in London:

If Stead puts his ghost into "The Review of Reviews," his readers who endured with difficulty General Booth, and Mrs Besant, and all his other mad protégés, will certainly abandon him. The ghost is a ghost from Scotland Yard. In exchange for the Stead romance, I send you the last good mot here fit to tickle the midriff of the Carlton Club. One of the Members for this district, the late treasurer R., who had to resign in connection with the Panama business, admitted that he had got the money charged upon him, but declared that instead of applying it to his own use he had given it to the Secret Service fund! (Fonds secrets). The client of a lawyer was since detected in helping himself from the money on a bronze plate where the lawyer deposited his fees. "Que voulez-vous faire de cet argent-la?" demanded the angry notary. "Mais, monsieur, l'envoyer au fonds secrets."

I hope you are coming out, it would be a wise disposal of the three weeks which remain. If so pray send me Parkes, and I will have it read and ready to return when you are going back to London.

If you desire it, or think any good end would be promoted, I shall be happy to see Mr W., but in truth I have no longer any desire to make new acquaintances. That is a pleasure for men in the vigour of life. Send him, however.

I take the "Times" during the sitting of Parliament, and shall see Gladstone's speech twenty-four hours after it is delivered. He has a frightfully difficult position with Labouchère and Company preparing pitfalls. The crux appears to be the retention of the Irish members at Westminster. For my part I am quite content they should be excluded from the British