HAM HOUSE 183 



his Lordship passed off the fatal compliment only 

 with a laughter, and so fared along to the Tower.' 

 His Lordship's big red head, has yet other work 

 to do in this world. Having, at the Ever-blessed 

 Restoration, managed, not without difficulty, 'to 

 get a new suit of clothes,' he knelt before his now 

 triumphant Sacred Majesty on that glorious Thirtieth 

 of May."' 



Upon Charles II.'s restoration, Lady Dysart did 

 not consider that Lauderdale was sufficiently grate- 

 ful for her share in saving his life, and they were 

 estranged for some years ; she turning her atten- 

 tion to other matters, one being the acquiring of a 

 new patent from the King creating her Countess of 

 Dysart and Baroness Huntingtower in her own right. 



But Lauderdale, the cleverest and most un- 

 scrupulous of all the Merry Monarch's ministers, 

 was destined to link his life sooner or later with 

 Lady Dysart, and after her husband's death they 

 made up their quarrel and lived so openly together 

 that his wife, Lady Lauderdale, retired to Paris, 

 and after her death, which took place there, Lord 

 Lauderdale married Lady Dysart, who, though 

 she may have had undue influence over him, and 

 often separated him from his friends, certainly 

 worked loyally in his interest. It was owing to 

 her that Charles gave him a dukedom, which title 

 lapsed (as they had no children), the Dysart titles 

 passing into the Tollemache family. 



