And there are, therefore, always three parties in our beloved country." Abel looked inquiringly.
"First, the _ins_, who are in two parties--the clique that have, and the clique that haven't.

They fight like fury among themselves, but when they meet t'other great party they all fight together, because the hopes of the crank for each individual of each body lie in the party itself, and in their obedience to its discipline.

These are two of the parties.

Then there is the great party of the _outs_, who have a marvelous unanimity, and never break up into quarrelsome bodies until there is a fair chance of their ousting the _ins_.

I say these things not because they are not pretty obvious, but because, as a man of fashion and society, you have probably not attended to such matters.