No champagne, just tea, coffee and biscuits and down to business. And so rather mundanely, yet with a restrained but intense emotion, history was finally made. The ministers of the round table had begun working together, or most of them at any rate.
In the old Arthurian legend there was a spare place at the table reserved for the most exemplary knight, whenever he would appear. Yesterday there were two spare places, for the two DUP keepers of the "true unionist faith", ministers Peter Robinson and Nigel Dodds.
When, if ever, would they sit together with their cabinet colleagues? That's another day's work: the holy grail of fully inclusive democratic government in Northern Ireland has yet to be achieved.
It is 25 years since the Sunningdale power-sharing government of 1974 collapsed. Here was a second chance for Northern politicians. Seamus Mallon was feeling the sense of moment - a sense of the "slow learners" finally catching up, to use a favourite phrase of the Deputy First Minister.
He was also feeling stage fright. "I am absolutely terrified," he admitted before the first formal executive meeting at 3 p.m.
And so they all trooped into the Cabinet room, settling themselves as equals - unionist, nationalist, republican - around the table. Each had name-plates, although Bairbre de Brun's name was misspelt. Mr Martin McGuinness, when he arrived sat at the seat reserved for Mr Michael McGimpsey. Mr David Trimble, laughing, addressed him jokingly as "Mr Mc Gimpsey". "Oh, I've made the first mistake," said the Sinn Fein Minister of Education. Not exactly Wildean repartee but, considering what we're used to, it was a fairly warm, open, and generous interchange.
Upstairs in the Long Gallery of Stormont at the same time, the Rev Ian Paisley sat flanked by - to use his own phrase borrowed from Mr Trimble - his "two rogue ministers", Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds.
No new dawn, no bright morning, said Dr Paisley. "It's a new night, and one does not know what midnight will bring," he added. The ministers defended their decision not to take the education portfolio - the DUP had first choice over Mr McGuinness. Their departments were vital because they dealt with bringing prosperity to the people, including all the Protestant people who were being disadvantaged, Dr Paisley said.
Anyway, they needed to be shocked into realising what this new government was all about, he added: Martin McGuinness in charge of the future of the loyal sons and daughters of Ulster.
But surely David Trimble had taken the risks and the DUP had taken the rewards? Mr Robinson exploded that the DUP did not want the Belfast Agreement, did not want the deal, did not even want to be ministers in this enterprise because it involved Sinn Fein - but they wouldn't leave it to Sinn Fein.
Mr McGuinness hoped that eventually Peter Robinson and Nigel Dodds would join the other ministers at the round table. "We are undoubtedly living in very, very interesting and hopeful times," he said.
Perhaps he did not realise that this almost word for word is a famous Chinese curse, but he did not mean it like that. The emphasis was on "hopeful". Still division, still problems, still February ahead of course, but yesterday history was made.
