'Where, indeed,' said Sir Rupert, with a sigh of humorous pathos.
'Well,' said Helena, 'what did the opposition do?'
'Made themselves nasty,' answered Hiram. 'Stirred up discontent against the foreigner, as they called him. He found his congress hard to handle. There were votes of censure and talks of impeachment, and I don't know what else. He went right ahead, his own way, without paying them the least attention. Then they took to refusing to vote his necessary supplies for the army and navy. He managed to get the money in spite of them; but whether he lost his temper, or not, I can't say, but he took it into his head to declare that the constitution was endangered by the machinations of unscrupulous enemies, and to declare himself Dictator.'
'That was brave,' said Helena, enthusiastically.
'Rather rash, wasn't it?' sneered Soame Rivers.
'It may have been rash, and it may not,' Hiram answered meditatively. 'I believe he was within the strict letter of the constitution, which does empower a President to take such a step under certain conditions. But the opposition meant fighting. So they rebelled against the Dictator, and that's how the bother began. How it ended you all know.'
'Where were the people all this time?' Helena asked eagerly.
'I guess the people didn't understand much about it then,' Hiram answered.
'My great deed was too great,' Helena murmured once again.
'The usual thing,' said Soame Rivers. 'Victory to begin with, and the confidence born of victory; then defeat and disaster.'