But--" "Ah! There is a but, then," Borrowdean interrupted.
"There is a but," Mannering assented.

"You may find it hard to understand, but here is the truth.

I have lost all taste for public life.
The whole thing is rotten, Borrowdean, rotten from beginning to end.

I have had enough of it to last me all my days.

Party policy must come before principle.