her face and looked steadily at
Robinson. If, however, she had any hope, that hope was fruitless.

"I have renounced her twice," said he, "and now I renounce her
again. It is not now from fear. Mr. Brown, you have my authority for
accepting that bill in the name of the Firm." Then he left the room
and went forth into the street.

CHAPTER XVIII.

AN EVENING AT THE "GOOSE AND GRIDIRON."

Those political debaters who met together weekly at the "Goose and
Gridiron" were certainly open to the insinuation that they copied
the practices of another debating society, which held its sittings
farther west. In some respects they did so, and were perhaps even
servile in their imitation. They divided themselves into parties, of
which each had an ostensible leader. But then there was always some
ambitious but hardly trustworthy member who endeavoured to gather
round him a third party which might become dominant by trimming
between the other two; and he again would find the ground cut from
beneath his feet by new aspirants. The members never called each
other by their own names, but addressed each always as "The worthy
Goose," speaking at such moments with the utmost courtesy. This
would still be done, though the speaker were using all his energy
to show that that other Goose was in every sense unworthy. They had
a perpetual chairman, for whom they affected the most unbounded
respect. He was generally called "The Grand," his full title being
"The Most Worthy Grand Goose;" and members on their legs, when they
wished to address the meeting with special eloquence, and were
about to speak words which they thought peculiarly fit for public
attention, would generally begin by thus invoking him. "Most Worthy
Grand," they would say. But this when done by others than well
accustomed speakers, was considered as a work either of arrogance
or of ignorance. This great officer was much loved among them, and
familiarly he was called "My Grand." Though there was an immensity of
talk at these meetings, men speaking sometimes by the half hour whose
silence the club would have been willing to purchase almost at any
price, there were not above four established orators. There were
four orators, of each of whom it was said that he copied the manner
and tone of some great speaker in that other society. There was our
friend Robinson, who in the elegance of his words, and the brilliancy
of his ideas, far surpassed any other Goose. His words were