"Your first word to me was of the Chief Whip," she reminded him.
Haversham was touched. He put his hand gently on his sister's arm.
"We do not belong to ourselves," he pleaded. "This act of yours is a public thing."
"I have a personal thing still left to do," she said. "Peter is coming to-night. You must leave him with me."
"That will be easy," he assured her. "They're all political people this evening. We shall go on afterwards to the House."
The talk at dinner was all of Wenderby's resignation. The division that night would show the strength of his following. Peter was exasperated by the persistence with which this event pursued him.
"Is this resignation really important?" he asked in an early pause of the conversation. Lady Mary had left her seat at the foot of the table.
"Important!" his neighbour exclaimed at him. "Why, it's the most important event in politics for fifty years. It changes everything."
"This, Peter, is not one of those important things which happen every day," said Haversham quietly. "I would have given almost anything to bring this about."
"At any rate, Haversham," said one of the politicians, "you have helped it a little."