“You refer to the Democrats?”

“Naturally.”

“Do I understand you to attribute your defeat, then, to the tactics of the Democratic Party?”

“It is no question of supposition,” Tallente replied.  “It is a certainty.”

“You believe that they have a greater hold upon the country than we imagine, then?”

“I am sure of it,” was the confident answer.  “They occupy a position no other political party has aimed at occupying in the history of this country.  They aid and support themselves by means of direct and logical propaganda, carried to the very heart and understanding of their possible supporters.  Their methods are absolutely unique and personally I am convinced that it is their destiny to bring into one composite body what has been erroneously termed the Labour vote.”

Horlock smiled indulgently.  He preferred to assume a confidence which he could not wholly feel.

“I am glad to hear your opinion, Tallente,” he said.  “I have to remember, however, that you are still smarting under a defeat inflicted by these people.  What I cannot altogether understand is this:  How was it that you were entirely deprived of their support at Hellesfield.  You yourself are supposed to be practically a Socialist, at any rate from the point of view of the staider of my party.  Yet these fellows down at Hellesfield preferred to support Bloxham, who twenty years ago would have been called a Tory.”

“I can quite understand your being puzzled at that,” Tallente acknowledged.  “I was myself at first.  Since then I have received an explanation.”

“Well, well,” Mr. Horlock interjected, with a return of his official genial manner, “we’ll let sleeping dogs lie.  Have you made any plans, Tallente?”

“A week ago I thought of going to Samoa,” was the grim reply.  “You don’t want me, the country didn’t seem to want me.  I have worked for other people for thirty years.  I rather thought of resting, living the life of a lotus eater for a time.”

“An extremist as ever,” the Prime Minister remarked tolerantly.  “Even a politician who has worked as hard as you have can find many pleasurable paths in life open to him in this country.  However, the necessity for such an extreme course of action on your part is done away with.  I am very pleased to be able to tell you that the affair concerning which I have been in communication with your secretary for the last two months has taken an unexpectedly favourable turn.”

“What the mischief do you mean?” Tallente enquired, puzzled.

“I mean,” Mr. Horlock announced, with a friendly smile, “that sooner than be deprived of your valuable services, His Majesty has consented that you should go to the Upper House.  You will be offered a peerage within the next fortnight.”

Tallente stared at the speaker as though he had suddenly been bereft of his senses.

“What on earth are you talking about, sir?” he demanded.