The Ulster Unionist Party Assembly members were in conclave in Parliament Buildings, Stormont last night but to use a metaphor not associated with unionism, there was no white smoke.
The drama yesterday switched between the grand Parliament Buildings on the hill of the Stormont estate to the ugly Castle Buildings down in the hollow.
There, George Mitchell, Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and their colleagues waited. On the hill, the Ulster Unionists talked.
"Nearly, but not quite there," said pro-agreement sources. "Trimble will never sell it," insisted the No camp.
The word from Sinn Fein last night was that the UUP had rejected what was on offer.
But all was not lost; like a college of Vatican cardinals they'd keep trying until they got it right.
Still, the wonder was that there appeared to be a deal and David Trimble seemed willing to sell it. Great anxiety within the unionist camp. A little concern also in the republican bloc - could they sign up to a staged process that locked the IRA into decommissioning? There was general trepidation too - the Yes people prayed it wouldn't collapse at the last minute; the anti side gambling that unionist grassroots would do to the deal what they did to the Sunningdale Agreement a generation ago.
A familiar, grim word was resurrected yesterday: clarification. Mr Trimble briefed his Assembly people around lunchtime and the word afterwards was that they needed more time and more detail.
"More time," is the worst phrase in the Northern political lexicon, Seamus Mallon has stated on many occasions. "If Trimble is going to move he should move fast, because if he delays too long they'll get him in the long grass," observed a senior SDLP insider.
Mr Trimble emerged with Sir Reg Empey from Parliament Buildings at 2.40 p.m., followed a few minutes later by a man with his arm in a sling. "Trimble is being a bit over-enthusiastic with the arm-twisting," one reporter surmised, but this wasn't one of his Assembly grouping.
Shortly afterwards Ian Paisley spoke of a sell-out. Time for unionists to "ditch" David Trimble, he said.
Generally UUP Assembly members were keeping it so tight that they wouldn't even say, "No comment".
Press facilities were, as ever, spartan - two tiny prefab huts with two phone lines in each - but at least interest is growing: Jon Snow of Channel 4 News and CNN deigned to join the resident reporters yesterday. But it proved too stupefying for CNN, who for light relief availed of their technical wizardry to call up a movie on their Internet system.
Elsewhere though it was fraught and frenetic, with much shuttling between the Castle and Parliament Buildings. Mr Trimble warned that it isn't over until it's over.
Had the review failed, he was asked. He replied: "Has the fat lady sung yet?"
