"I told you he wasn't a fool," he said, and Mr. Arnall, who had come over from Ludsey, cried out with a chuckle of delight that he had now a companion speech to match the famous one of Taylor the democrat.
"You won't go back to London until to-morrow, will you?" said Rames to young Burrell. "It's best not to hurry away the moment you've won the seat."
They returned accordingly to the white house, and when the two men were left by Cynthia to their wine after dinner, Rames turned inquisitively to his guest.
"I have noticed a change in you, Burrell, during these five weeks. You came into the contest as though it was a joke, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did," said Burrell, blushing.
"And though you laughed at it again to-day, as a matter of fact it ceased to be a joke very quickly."
Burrell agreed. "Very quickly."
Rames fetched a box of cigars from the sideboard.
"Now light a cigar," he said, "and tell me just as clearly as you can what brought about the change, and what this election really means to you."
Mr. William Burrell, M.P., shied at the proposal.