Tallente shook his head.

“I haven’t even opened a newspaper.”

“Horlock went down himself yesterday to speak for his candidate.  Our man is in by five thousand, seven hundred votes.”

“Amazing!” Tallente murmured.

“It is the greatest reversal of figures in political history,” Dartrey declared.  “Listen, Tallente.  I was quite prepared to go the Session, as you know, but Horlock’s had enough.  He is asking for a vote of confidence on Tuesday.  He’ll lose by at least sixty votes.”

“And then?”

“We can’t put it off any longer.  We shall have to take office.  I shall be sent for as the nominal leader of the party and I shall pass the summons on to you.  Here is a list of names.  Some of them we ought to see unofficially at once.”

Tallente looked down the slip of paper.  He came to a dead stop with his finger upon Miller’s name.

“I know,” Dartrey said sympathetically, “but, Tallente, you must remember that men are not made all in the same mould, and Miller is the link between us and a great many of the most earnest disciples of our faith.  In politics a man has sometimes to be accepted not so much for what he is as for the power which he represents.”

“Has he agreed to serve under me?” Tallente inquired.

“We have never directly discussed the subject,” Dartrey replied.  “He posed rather as the ambassador when we came to you at Martinhoe, but as a matter of fact, if it interests you to know it, he was strongly opposed to my invitation to you.  I am expecting him here every moment—­in fact, he telephoned that he was on the way an hour ago.”

Miller arrived, a few minutes later, with the air of one already cultivating an official gravity.  He was dressed in his own conception of morning clothes, which fitted him nowhere, linen which confessed to a former day’s service and a brown Homburg hat.  It was noticeable that whilst he was almost fulsome in his congratulations to Nora and overcordial to Dartrey, he scarcely glanced at Tallente and confined himself to a nod by way of greeting.

“Couldn’t believe it when you told me over the telephone,” he said.  “I congratulate you both heartily.  What about Leeds, Dartrey?”

“Splendid!”

“It’s the end, I suppose?”

“Absolutely!  That is why I telephoned for you.  Horlock is quite resigned.  I understand that they will send for me, but I wish to tell you, Miller, as I have just told Tallente, that I have finally made up my mind that it would not be in the best interests of our party for me to attempt to form a Ministry myself.  I am therefore passing the task on to Tallente.  Here is a list of what we propose.”

Miller clenched the sheet of paper in his hand without glancing at it.  His tone was bellicose.

“Do I understand that Tallente is to be Prime Minister?”

“Certainly!  You see I have put you down for the Home Office, Sargent as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Saunderson—­”