CANTELUPE.  You are forming it to carry disestablishment, are you not, Cyril?  Therefore you will form it in the best interests of the best scheme possible.

HORSHAM.  Trebell was and is the best man I know of for the purpose.  I’m a little weary of saying that.

      He folds his arms and awaits further developments.  After a moment
      CANTELUPE gets up as if to address a meeting.

CANTELUPE.  Then if you would prefer not to include me ...  I shall feel justified in giving independent support to a scheme I have great faith in. [And he sits down again.]

BLACKBOROUGH. [Impatiently.] My dear Cantelupe, if you think Horsham can form a disestablishment cabinet to include Trebell and exclude you, you’re vastly mistaken.  I for one....

FARRANT.  But do both of you consider how valuable, how vital Trebell is to us just at this moment?  The Radicals trust him....

BLACKBOROUGH.  They hate him.

HORSHAM. [Elucidating.] Their front bench hates him because he turned them out.  The rest of them hate their front bench.  After six years of office, who wouldn’t?

BLACKBOROUGH.  That’s true.

FARRANT.  Oh, of course, we must stick to Trebell, Blackborough.

      BLACKBOROUGH is silent; so HORSHAM turns his attention to his
      cousin.

HORSHAM.  Well, Charles, I won’t ask you for a decision now.  I know how hard it is to accept the dictates of other men’s consciences ... but a necessary condition of all political work; believe me.

CANTELUPE. [Uneasily.] You can form your cabinet without me, Cyril.

      At this BLACKBOROUGH charges down on them, so to speak.

BLACKBOROUGH.  No, I tell you, I’m damned if he can.  Leaving the whole high church party to blackmail all they can out of us and vote how they like!  Here ...  I’ve got my Yorkshire people to think of.  I can bargain for them with you in a cabinet ... not if you’ve the pull of being out of it.

HORSHAM. [With charming insinuation.] And have you calculated, Blackborough, what may become of us if Trebell has the pull of being out of it?

      BLACKBOROUGH makes a face.

BLACKBOROUGH.  Yes ...  I suppose he might turn nasty.

FARRANT.  I should hope he would.

BLACKBOROUGH.[Tackling FARRANT with great ease.] I should hope he would consider the matter not from the personal, but from the political point of view ... as I am trying to do.

HORSHAM. [Tasting his epigram with enjoyment.] Introspection is the only bar to such an honourable endeavour, [BLACKBOROUGH gapes.] You don’t suffer from that as—­for instance—­Charles here, does.

BLACKBOROUGH. [Pugnaciously.] D’you mean I’m just pretending not to attack him personally?