I had spent the morning lazily in the smoking-room of the hotel, reading the day's newspapers.

And what did I hear now, when the politicians set in for their discussion?
I heard the leading articles of the day's newspapers translated into bald chat, and coolly addressed by one man to another, as if they were his own individual views on public affairs! This absurd imposture positively went the round of the table, received and respected by everybody with a stolid solemnity of make-believe which it was downright shameful to see.

Not a man present said, "I saw that today in the _Times_ or the _Telegraph."_ Not a man present had an opinion of his own; or, if he had an opinion, ventured to express it; or, if he knew nothing of the subject, was honest enough to say so.

One enormous Sham, and everybody in a conspiracy to take it for the real thing: that is an accurate description of the state of political feeling among the representative men at Mr.Farnaby's dinner.

I am not judging rashly by one example only; I have been taken to clubs and public festivals, only to hear over and over again what I heard in Mr.Farnaby's dining-room.