It is curious you should mention the matter, because the very night you have dropped in (if I may so express it) is the night on which our London branch, which assembles in this room, has to elect its own deputy to fill a vacancy in the Council.

The gentleman who has for some time past played, with propriety and general applause, the difficult part of Thursday, has died quite suddenly.

Consequently, we have called a meeting this very evening to elect a successor." He got to his feet and strolled across the room with a sort of smiling embarrassment.
"I feel somehow as if you were my mother, Syme," he continued casually.
"I feel that I can confide anything to you, as you have promised to tell nobody.

In fact, I will confide to you something that I would not say in so many words to the anarchists who will be coming to the room in about ten minutes.

We shall, of course, go through a form of election; but I don't mind telling you that it is practically certain what the result will be." He looked down for a moment modestly.