Well," I continued, "the Duke and Sir Robert returned soon, and I first saw the Duke, who talked first of his being ready to take the post of Secretary for Foreign Affairs, which I had pressed Peel to urge on him (the Duke having first wished to be in the Cabinet, without accepting office), and the Duke said, 'I am able to do anything,' for I asked him if it would not be too much for him.

Then I told him that I had been very well satisfied with Sir Robert yesterday, and asked the Duke if Sir Robert had told him what had passed about the Ladies.

He said he had, and then I repeated all my arguments, and the Duke his; but the Duke and Sir Robert differed considerably on two points.

The Duke said the _opinions_ of the Ladies were nothing, but it was the _principle_, whether the Minister could remove the Ladies or not, and that he (the Duke) had understood it was stated in the Civil List Bill, 'that the _Ladies were instead of the Lords_,' which is quite false, and I told the Duke that there were not _twelve Lords_, as the expense _with the Ladies_ would have been too great." Lord Melbourne said: "There you had the better of him, and what did he say ?" "Not much," I replied.

I repeated many of my arguments, all which pleased Lord Melbourne, and which he agreed to, amongst others, that I said to the Duke, Was Sir Robert so weak that _even_ the Ladies must be of his opinion?
The Duke denied that.