He drew a chair forward, and she sank into it with the letter. While she
was reading it he raised the _Herald_ again, unobserved, folded it up
hurriedly, and put it in his pocket; then walked away a few steps, that
he might leave his mother to her grief. Presently Lady Lucy called him.
"Oliver!" The voice was strong. He went back to her and she received him
with sparkling eyes, her hand on Broadstone's letter.
"Oliver, this is what killed him! Lord Broadstone must bear the
responsibility."
And hurriedly, incoherently, she explained that the letter from Lord
Broadstone was an urgent appeal to Ferrier's patriotism and to his
personal friendship for the writer; begging him for the sake of party
unity, and for the sake of the country, to allow the Prime Minister to
cancel the agreement of the day before; to accept a peerage and the War
Office in lieu of the Exchequer and the leadership of the House. The
Premier gave a full account of the insurmountable difficulties in the
way of the completion of the Government, which had disclosed themselves
during the course of the afternoon and evening following his interview
with Ferrier.
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