The Man Who Laughs Part II, Book the Eighth, Chapter III - The Old Hall

In which the ancient and venerable chambers of English governance, once steeped in tradition and shadowed by history, are vividly described with all their heraldry and ceremony, reflecting a power as much upheld by ritual as by law. The narrative unfolds within the solemn walls of Westminster, where the lords and bishops assemble not only as legislators but as guardians of a storied past, their gatherings both a spectacle of order and a reminder of the fleeting nature of antiquated authority.