Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [2244]

Against the wall, opposite me, sit the members of the special committee charged with investigating Blaine’s financial arrangements. A majority of the committee is Democratic, and scent blood. The chairman is a hard-faced man called Proctor Knott. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 2244

Note

The vivid imagery of Nordhoff’s physicality, with ‘bony knees gouging my back,’ effectively conveys the discomfort and tension in the crowded space.