There is an unspoken threat in this, Horsham sees it and without disguising his irritation....
Horsham. Let us have it, Farrant.
Farrant. [With a sort of puzzled discontent.] Well ... I never got to telling him of the O'Connell affair at all. He started talking to me ... saying that he couldn't for a moment agree to Trebell's proposals for the finance of his bill ... I couldn't get a word in edgeways. Then his wife came up....
Horsham takes something in this so seriously that he actually interrupts.
Horsham. Does he definitely disagree? What is his point?
Farrant. He says Disestablishment's a bad enough speculation for the party as it is.
Blackborough. It is inevitable.
Farrant. He sees that. But then he says ... to go to the country again having bolstered up Education and quarrelled with everybody will be bad enough ... to go having spent fifty millions on it will dish us all for our lifetimes.
Horsham. What does he propose?
Farrant. He'll offer to draft another bill and take it through himself. He says ... do as many good turns as we can with the money ... don't put it all on one horse.