THE EARLY MAIL-COACHES 171 



a little compromising matter, proving how Palmer 

 had been steadily bent on asserting his own 

 authority and on denying that of the Postmasters- 

 General. 



The Avliole pitiful story is at l)ottom an indict- 

 ment of the figurehead in public life ; an exposure 

 of the hoary custom of apjDointing political and 

 ornamental heads to the overlordship of executive 

 departments really ruled by permanent officials. 

 My lords came and went as party fortunes willed. 

 Palmer had officially no politics; all he desired 

 was to perfect his already successful plan. Other 

 Postmasters-General would have been content 

 with their figureheadship, and have danced like 

 any other Governmental j^uppets to the pulling of 

 official strings ; but Palmer's overlords declined to 

 do anything of the sort, and if they could not 

 organise or originate, found it at least possible to 

 meddle and veto. 



Palmer, ready at most times to do anything— to 

 travel many miles, to exj^end his highly nervous 

 energies in any other way than l)y letter-writing, 

 made this one irretrievable blunder of a a^enerous- 

 minded man. He was accustomed to unburden 

 himself on paper to the friend who already owed 

 everything to him— and who by natural conse- 

 quence hated him for it — and by so doing was, 

 as we perceive, in the end undone. 



The Postmasters-General were the sole eventual 

 gainers by Bonnor's incredible perfidy, for that 

 creature, by rare poetic justice, died at last in 

 misery and want. 



