His right hand rested on his gavel, he thrust his left into the side pocket of his long alpaca coat.

He was an old and tried hand in the chair, and his own deep absorption in the remarks of Mr.Harwood communicated itself to the delegates.
Dan uttered rapidly the speech he had committed to memory for this occasion a week earlier.

Every sentence had been carefully pondered; both Bassett and Atwill had blue penciled it until it expressed concisely and pointedly exactly what Bassett wished to be said at this point in the convention's proceedings.

Interruptions, of applause or derision, were to be reckoned with; but the speaker did not once drop his voice or pause long enough for any one to drive in a wedge of protest.

He might have been swamped by an uprising of the whole convention, but strange to say the convention was intent upon hearing him.