Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [1576]

“Of course. Everything is forbidden. Otherwise there would be no pleasure.” With that he led me onto the Senate floor: a semicircle of desks faced the dais of the presiding officer. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 1576

Note

Conkling’s humorous denial of propriety allows the reader to see his character’s irreverence towards political decorum, reinforcing themes of corruption and the playfulness of power in politics.