"
"Are you sure?" said Mr Taper.
"I tell you Sir Robert is on his road to the palace at this
moment; I saw him pass, full-dressed."
"It is too much," said Mr Taper.
"Now what are we to do?" said Mr Tadpole.
"We must not dissolve," said Mr Taper. "We have no cry."
"As much cry as the other fellows," said Mr Tadpole; "but no
one of course would think of dissolution before the next
registration. No, no; this is a very manageable Parliament,
depend upon it. The malcontent radicals who have turned them
out are not going to bring them in. That makes us equal.
Then we have an important section to work upon--the Sneaks,
the men who are afraid of a dissolution. I will be bound we
make a good working conservative majority of five-and-twenty
out of the sneaks."
"With the Treasury patronage," said Mr Taper; "fear and favour
combined. An impending dissolution, and all the places we
refuse our own men, we may count on the Sneaks."
"Then there are several religious men who have wanted an
excuse for a long time to rat," said Mr Tadpole. "We must get
Sir Robert to make some kind of a religious move, and that
will secure Sir Litany Lax and young Mr Salem."
"It will never do to throw over the Church Commission," said
Mr Taper.
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