Mr. Blithers had had a trying day of it. To begin with, his wife
raked him over the coals for what she was pleased to call his
senseless persistence in the face of what she regarded as unalterable
opposition on the part of the Cabinet and House of Nobles. It appears
that he had experienced a second encounter with the Ministry only the
day before. After sleeping over the results of his first visit to the
Council Chamber, he awoke to the fact that matters were in such a
condition that it behooved him to strike while the iron was hot. So
he obtained a second hearing, principally because he had not slept as
well over it as he would have liked, and secondarily because he
wanted to convince himself that he could parade their ancient halls
without feeling as self-conscious as a whipped spaniel.
He came off even worse in his second assault upon the ministry, for
this time the members openly sneered at his declarations. As for his
progress through the enchanted halls he was no end worse off than
before. It so happened that he arrived at the castle at the very hour
when the ladies and gentlemen of the royal household were preparing
to fare forth to the tennis courts.
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