It contained material for which any ambitious journalist, at
the present juncture, would give the eyes out of his head. But could
Barrington be trusted? Oliver vaguely remembered some stories to his
disadvantage, told probably by Lankester, who in these respects was one
of the most scrupulous of men. Yet the paper stood high, and was
certainly written with conspicuous ability.
Why not give him information?--cautiously, of course, and with
discretion. What harm could it do--to Ferrier or any one else? The party
was torn by dissensions; and the first and most necessary step toward
reunion was that Ferrier's aims and methods should be thoroughly
understood. No doubt in these letters, as he had himself pointed out, he
had expressed himself with complete, even dangerous freedom. But there
was not going to be any question of putting them into Barrington's
hands. Certainly not!--merely a quotation--a reference here and there.
As he began to sketch his own share in the expected conversation, a
pleasant feeling of self-importance crept in, soothing to the wounds of
the preceding week. Secretly Marsham knew that he had never yet made the
mark in politics that he had hoped to make, that his abilities entitled
him to make.
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