Page:Carroll - Sylvie and Bruno Concluded.djvu/238

200 to each othertook turns in conducting the Government; and the Party, that happened not to be in power, was called the 'Opposition', I believe?"

"That is the right name," I said. "There have always been, so long as we have had a Parliament at all, two Parties, one 'in', and one 'out'."

"Well, the function of the 'Ins' (if I may so call them) was to do the best they could for the national welfare in such things as making war or peace, commercial treaties, and so forth?"

"Undoubtedly," I said.

"And the function of the 'Outs' was (so our traveller assured us, though we were very incredulous at first) to prevent the 'Ins' from succeeding in any of these things?"

"To criticize and to amend their proceedings," I corrected him. "It would be unpatriotic to hinder the Government in doing what was for the good of the Nation! We have always held a Patriot to be the greatest of heroes, and an unpatriotic spirit to be one of the worst of human ills!"