in the meantime his sister is hired as a companion to the daughter of adrian neuchatel, a great whig magnate and banker. myra becomes a favorite member of the household, and her position enables her to introduce endymion to the high society of the whig party. myra herself is wooed and won by lord roehampton, secretary of state in the melbourne ministry. this places her in a position to forward endymion's career, and she recommends him for private secretary to the whig cabinet minister sidney wilton, an old friend of her father. her brother distinguishes himself. in the elections of 1841, however, the whigs are voted out of office, and endymion loses his position. he compensates for this by getting elected to parliament in a constituency controlled by the whig lord montfort, whose wife endymion has befriended. lord montfort's power in the borough has been compromised by the rising influence of lord beaumaris, a former fellow-tenant of endymion at the rodneys; formerly a whig, the weak-minded beaumaris has been converted to toryism by the eccentric waldershare, another of the rodney tenants. however, beaumaris is controlled by his wife imogene, mrs rodneys' sister, who is endymion's friend; tories and whigs, beaumaris and montfort, combine in endymion's support, and he is elected unopposed.