The next day, Palmerston's mouthpiece, The Morning Post, published a lengthy article, bluntly stating that the merger of the University of London with King's College was an inevitable trend of history. It accused Sir Arthur Hastings, the Dean of Academic Affairs of the University of London, of resolutely resisting the University Education Act, disregarding British higher education, and being truly ignorant of the broader picture.
Although the public opinion tug-of-war between the University of London and the Foreign Office was still at a stalemate, Arthur now indeed had to set aside his verbal sparring with Palmerston for a while.
The afternoon street was illuminated by the rare London sunshine, and the cobblestones of Lancaster Gate glistened with a silvery white light.
The slow, silent clopping of horse hooves approached from afar.
