by Anthony Trollope
Adapted for broadcasting by H. Oldfield Box

Phineas's second session in Parliament is now well advanced. He has not yet gathered the courage to make his maiden speech; and the money-lender, Clarkson, is persistently dunning him for settlement of that wretched bill. But these troubles apart, his life is interesting and full, and he has quite recovered from the shock of Lady Laura's marriage to Mr. Kennedy.

Lady Laura, however, is finding her life with the exacting Kennedy increasingly hard to bear, and has realised, to her great distress, that she is falling in love with Phineas Finn. Her misery is increased because it is very evident that Phineas himself is growing very fond of her charming friend, Miss Violet Effingham, whom Lady Laura wishes to see married to her wayward brother, Lord Chiltern. Phineas, aware of Chiltern's devotion to Miss Effingham, has so far forbidden himself to be in love with her. But learning from Chiltern that Miss Effingham has twice rejected him, and that he will never try again, Phineas feels the field to be open to himself.