“. . . I went to Brooks’s, and, upon entering the room, Bruffam was sitting at a table with his back to me, convulsing a group of noblemen and gentlemen who stood round with some good story. Not having seen him before, I took up a lateral position to him, with my eye fixed upon him, waiting for recognition; which was no sooner effected than up he sprung to embrace me with ‘Well, old ultra-Tory, how are you?’—‘Charmingly, I thank you, dear moderate Tory; how are you?’ . . .”
