He was an orator beyond doubt, and when he concluded in a riot of applause, Alice sat with small hands clenched and eyes shining with delight.

He had spoken the main articles of her creed, but with what force and freshness! She was convinced, satisfied, delighted; though somewhere in her thought lurked her old dislike of the man and the memory of another.
As ill-luck would have it, the next night she went to hear Lewis in Gledsmuir, when that young gentleman was at his worst.

She went unattended, being a fearless young woman, and consequently found herself in the very back of the hall crowded among some vehement politicians.
The audience, to begin with, was not unkind.

Lewis was greeted with applause, and at the first heard with patience.

But his speech was vague, incoherent, and tactless.