"I'm afraid not."
"Just a little, I think," the politician insisted. "Your friendship with Wenderby must have counted. These personal things do weigh. Wenderby was not very comfortable with his late friends."
"Lord Wenderby's change of party, I suppose, is final?" Peter politely suggested.
"Quite," said Haversham curtly.
"He'll certainly stay with us," chuckled Peter's neighbour. "We shall make it worth while."
"There's less competition on our side," said another. "We haven't any brains under sixty-five."
"Moreover," said Haversham incisively, "Wenderby is a man of honour."
"Has that anything to do with it?" Peter must somehow persist in his hostility. He could only think of Wenderby as an adventurer. Haversham lifted a finger at him:
"Peter," he said, "we shall quarrel if you cannot help being rude to one of my best friends. You must believe in Wenderby. You don't know how essential it is."