No one ever knew what her impressions were; with feminine tact she managed not to betray herself But, in truth, her notion of legislative bodies was vague, floating between her experience at church and at the opera, so that the idea of a performance of some kind was never out of her head.

To her mind the Senate was a place where people went to recite speeches, and she naively assumed that the speeches were useful and had a purpose, but as they did not interest her she never went again.

This is a very common conception of Congress; many Congressmen share it.
Her sister was more patient and bolder.

She went to the Capitol nearly every day for at least two weeks.

At the end of that time her interest began to flag, and she thought it better to read the debates every morning in the Congressional Record.