"Well, I hope we shall do that," said Chatteris. "We shall do more than that," said Adeline. "Oh, yes!" said Betty Bunting, "we shall." "I knew they would let him," said Adeline. "If they had any sense," said Mr. Bunting. Then came a pause, and Mr. Bunting was emboldened to lift up his voice and utter politics. "They are getting sense," he said. "They are learning that a party must have men, men of birth and training. Money and the mob--they've tried to keep things going by playing to fads and class jealousies. And the Irish. And they've had their lesson. How? Why,--we've stood aside. We've left 'em to faddists and fomenters--and the Irish. And here they are! It's a revolution in the party. We've let it down. Now we must pick it up again." He made a gesture with his fat little hand, one of those fat pink little hands that appear to have neither flesh nor bones inside them but only sawdust or horse-hair. Mrs. Bunting leaned back in her chair and smiled at him indulgently. "It is no common election," said Mr. Bunting. "It is a great issue." The Sea Lady had been regarding him thoughtfully. "What is a great issue?" she asked. "I don't quite understand." Mr. Bunting spread himself to explain to her. "This," he said to begin with. Adeline listened with a mingling of interest and impatience, attempting ever and again to suppress him and to involve Chatteris by a tactful interposition. But Chatteris appeared disinclined to be involved. He seemed indeed quite interested in Mr. Bunting's view of the case. Presently the croquet quartette went back--at Mabel's suggestion--to their game, and the others continued their political talk. It became more personal at last, dealing soon quite specifically with all that Chatteris was doing and more particularly all that Chatteris was to do. Mrs. Bunting suddenly suppressed Mr. Bunting as he was offering advice, and Adeline took the burden of the talk again. She indicated vast purposes. "This election is merely the opening of a door," she said. When Chatteris made modest disavowals she smiled with a proud and happy consciousness of what she meant to make of him. And Mrs. Bunting supplied footnotes to make it all clear to the Sea Lady. "He's so modest," she said at one point, and Chatteris pretended not to hear and went rather pink. Ever and again he attempted to deflect the talk towards the Sea Lady and away from himself, but he was hampered by his ignorance of her position. And the Sea Lady said scarcely anything but watched Chatteris and Adeline, and more particularly Chatteris in relation to Adeline. CHAPTER THE SIXTH SYMPTOMATIC I