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258 THE WINTEK TROUBLES. CHAP. IX The ap- proaching change. Unofficial accounts from the Crimea. Their effect upon the mind of the Duke of Newcastle. SO delicate, so momentous as to make it appar- ently certain that the Duke uf Newcastle must have tlien been reposing in Lord Eaglan the most absolute confidence that one man could well place in another.(^^) Yet on this same 15 th of December, we are within three days of a time when the spirit of our War Minister will be seen undergoing a change, and within one week of the day when, although not recalling Lord Eaglan, he will withdraw from him— in that hour of adversity! — withdraw from him all his old confidence. How this became possible we shall presently have to see. When unofficial accounts from the Chersonese began to ])0ur in upon the Duke of Newcastle, he could hardly liave learnt from them anything of really grave moment which had not before been imparted to him by Lord Eaglan in drier figures and words, but the detailed though frag- mentary narratives conveyed in their new poig- nant forms impressed his mind more acutely than sober, general statement ; and perhaps it might be said not inaccurately that what previ- ously he only had known, he now both knew and imagined. Though not throwing any really fresh light on the troubles besetting our army, the numberless anecdotes brought him inflicted new, separate pangs. Whoever has learnt the conditions under which our soldiers were labour- ing must of course know what room tlu^re would be for distressing accounts, and liow easily any narrators describing vexatious hindrances and