"These all-night sittings," he remarked, "get less of a joke as one advances in years. You read the reports this morning?"
She nodded.
"And Mannering's speech?"
"Every word of it."
"Our little conspiracy," he continued, "is bearing fruit. Honestly, Mannering is a surprise, even to me. After these years of rust I scarcely expected him to step back at once into all his former brilliancy. His speech last night was wonderful."
"I heard it," she said. "You are quite right. It was wonderful."
"You were in the House?" he asked, looking up quickly.
"I was there till midnight," she answered.
Borrowdean was thoughtful for a moment.
"His speech," he remarked, "sounded even better than it read."