You could see the niceness of the chap shining out behind the muck with which he had been spoon-fed.
Also it took a load off my mind.

I mightn't be much of an orator, but I was a thousand per cent better than Sir Harry.
I didn't get on so badly when it came to my turn.

I simply told them all I could remember about Australia, praying there should be no Australian there--all about its labour party and emigration and universal service.

I doubt if I remembered to mention Free Trade, but I said there were no Tories in Australia, only Labour and Liberals.
That fetched a cheer, and I woke them up a bit when I started in to tell them the kind of glorious business I thought could be made out of the Empire if we really put our backs into it.
Altogether I fancy I was rather a success.

The minister didn't like me, though, and when he proposed a vote of thanks, spoke of Sir Harry's speech as 'statesmanlike' and mine as having 'the eloquence of an emigration agent'.
When we were in the car again my host was in wild spirits at having got his job over.