One
armchair was thus left vacant, but there was no other comer.
"It is not so bad as I thought it would be," said the Duke, speaking
aloud, but nevertheless addressing himself specially to his chief.
"It was bad enough," said Mr. Mildmay, laughing.
"Bad enough indeed," said Sir Marmaduke Morecombe, without any
laughter.
"And such a good bill lost," said Lord Plinlimmon. "The worst of
these failures is, that the same identical bill can never be brought
in again."
"So that if the lost bill was best, the bill that will not be lost
can only be second best," said the Lord Chancellor.
"I certainly did think that after the debate before Easter we should
not have come to shipwreck about the ballot," said Mr. Mildmay.
"It was brewing for us all along," said Mr. Gresham, who then with a
gesture of his hand and a pressure of his lips withheld words which
he was nearly uttering, and which would not, probably, have been
complimentary to Mr. Turnbull. As it was, he turned half round and
said something to Lord Cantrip which was not audible to any one else
in the room. It was worthy of note, however, that Mr. Turnbull's name
was not once mentioned aloud at that meeting.
"I am afraid it was brewing all along," said Sir Marmaduke Morecombe
gravely.
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