“Peabody,” whispered the secretary.

Instantly the Mississippian had his cue.  His back to Peabody, he rose, brought down his fist heavily upon the desk, and expounded oratorically to Haines: 

“What we can produce of aluminium hydrates, my boy, is problematical, but the South is in a hurry for it, and the duty must come down.  It’s got to come down, and I’m not going to do anything else until it does.”

The secretary stretched across the desk.

“Excuse me, Senator; Senator Peabody is here,” he said, loudly and surprisedly, as though he had just sighted the boss of the Senate.

The Mississippian turned.

“Oh, good-morning, Senator.  I was just talking with my secretary about that hydrate clause.”

Peabody bowed slightly.

“Yes, I knew it was coming up,” he said, “so I just dropped over.  I’m not opposed to it or any Southern measure; but it makes it more difficult for me when you Southern people oppose certain Pittsburg interests that I have to take care of.”

Langdon smiled.

“I’ve never been in Pittsburg, but they tell me it looks as if it could take care of itself.”

The visitor shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s true enough; but give and take is the rule in political matters, Langdon.”

This remark brought a frown to Langdon’s face.

“I don’t like bargaining between gentlemen, Peabody.  More important still, I don’t believe American politics has to be run on that plan.  Why can’t we change a lot of things now that we are here?”

Langdon became so enthused that he paced up and down the room as he spoke.

“Peabody, you and Stevens and I,” continued Langdon, “could get our friends together and right now start to make this great capital of our great country the place of the ‘square deal,’ the place where give and take, bargain and sale, are unknown.  We could start a movement that would drive out all secret influences—­”

The secretary noticed Peabody’s involuntary start.

“The newspapers would help us,” went on Langdon.  “Public opinion would be with us, and both houses of Congress would have to join in the work if we went out in front, led the way and showed them their plain duty.  And I tell you, Senator Peabody, that the principles that gave birth to this country, the principles of truth, honesty, justice and independence, would rule in Washington—­”

“If Washington cared anything about them, Langdon,” interjected the Pennsylvanian.

“That’s my point,” cried the Mississippian—­“let us teach Washington to care about them!”

“Langdon, Langdon,” said Peabody, patronizingly, “you’ve seized on a bigger task than you know.  After you reform Washington you will have to go on and reform human nature, human instincts, every human being in the country, if you want to make politics this angelic thing you describe.  It isn’t politics, it’s humanity, that’s wrong,” waving aside a protest from Langdon.