I gazed after him for a moment, said to myself, "well this night is to
be full of incident!"--and going straight to the door in the rear of
the house, passed through it, went to the door of Mr. X-----'s room,
and knocked.
"Come in," said the voice of that gentleman; and opening the door I
entered.
VI.
THE HEART OF A STATESMAN.
Mr. X----- was seated in front of an excellent coal fire, in his great
armchair, near a table covered with papers, and between his lips was
the eternal cigar.
At sight of me he rose courteously--for he never omitted any form of
politeness--and cordially shook my hand.
"I am glad to see you, colonel," he said. "Just from the army? Have a
cigar."
And he extended toward me an elegant cigar-case full of Havanas, which
he took from the table. I declined, informing him that I had been
smoking all the evening in the sanctum of the editor of the _Examiner_.
"Ah! you have been to see Daniel," said Mr. X-----. "He is a very
remarkable man. I do not approve of the course of his paper, and he has
attacked me very bitterly on more than one occasion. But I bear no
grudge against him. He is honest in his opinions. I admire the pluck of
the man, and the splendid pith of his writings."
"My views accord with your own," I replied.
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