"
"I rely upon the loyalty and the unanimity of my family," replied
the leader, with more firmness than was wont. "Gentlemen, are we
then agreed? Does Massachusetts consent? Is Virginia with us? Is
New York agreeable? Does Kentucky also agree?"
There was no murmur of dissent, and the leader, half rising,
concluded;
"Gentlemen, we agreed four days ago that the Countess St. Auban
should leave Washington not later than that night. We are now
agreed that, in case of her return, she shall if possible be placed
under the charge, not of any responsible figure of _our_ party, but
of a gentleman distinguished in the councils of an _opposing_
party, whose abolitionist beliefs coincide somewhat with her own.
Let us hope they will both get them to Missouri, the debating
ground, the center of the political battle-field to-day. But,
Missouri or Hungary, Kentucky or France, let us hope that one or
both of them shall pass from our horizon.
"There remains but one question, as earlier suggested by Kentucky:
if we agree upon New York as our agent, who shall be our emissary
to New York, and how shall he accomplish our purpose with that
gentleman? Shall we decide it by the usual procedure of
parliamentary custom? Do you allow the--the Chair--" he smiled as
he bowed before them--"to appoint this committee of one? I suppose
you agree that the smaller the committee and the more secret the
committee's action, the better for us all?"
There was silence to this.
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