But a few did gain admittance, and these few
were much struck by the reports on the Alethea, all of which had been
sent back for revision to their respective authors, accompanied by some
new and important facts. These latter did not, as it turned out, alter
the tenor of the reports, but it had been thought as well to afford an
opportunity for reconsideration in the light of them; so Mandeville
explained, seeming always just a little nervous over this matter of the
reports.
"We had hoped," he said to one gentleman who was rather important and
rather hard to satisfy, "to fortify ourselves with Professor Maturin's
opinion. But unfortunately he died before he could complete his
examination, and nothing on the subject was found among his papers."
"That's a pity. Maturin would have carried great weight."
"We were quite alive to that," Mandeville assured him with a somewhat
uneasy smile. His feelings were not unlike those of a quiet steady-going
member of Quisante's party in Parliament. "We have no doubt of what his
opinion would have been, had he been able to study our additional facts
and been spared to complete his report.
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