"
"I should like to," said Peter.
The man pulled out a card, and handed it to Peter. "Six o'clock sharp,"
he said. Then he went to headquarters, and told the result of his two
interviews. "Now who had better be there?" he asked. After consultation,
a dinner of six was arranged.
The meal proved to be an interesting one to Peter. First, he found that
all the guests were well-known party men, whose names and opinions were
matters of daily notice in the papers. What was more, they talked
convention affairs, and Peter learned in the two hours' general
conversation more of true "interests" and "influences" and "pulls" and
"advantages" than all his reading and talking had hitherto gained him.
He learned that in New York the great division of interest was between
the city and country members, and that this divided interest played a
part in nearly every measure. "Now," said one of the best known men at
the table, "the men who represent the city, must look out for the city.
Porter's a fine man, but he has no great backing, and no matter how well
he intends by us, he can't do more than agree to such bills as we can
get passed.
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