The leadership of the
Commons must necessarily fall to that section of the party which,
through Lord Philip's astonishing campaign, has risen so rapidly in
public favor. Lord Philip himself, indeed, is no more acceptable to the
moderates than Mr. Ferrier to the Left Wing. Heat of personal feeling
alone would prevent his filling the part successfully. But two or three
men are named, under whom Lord Philip would be content to serve, while
the moderates would have nothing to say against them."
This was damaging enough. But far more serious was the "communicated"
article on the next page--"from a correspondent"--on which the "leader"
was based.
Marsham saw at once that the "correspondent" was really Barrington
himself, and that the article was wholly derived from the conversation
which had taken place at Tallyn, and from the portions of Ferrier's
letters, which Marsham had read or summarized for the journalist's
benefit.
The passage in particular which Ferrier's dying hand had marked--he
recalled the gleam in Barrington's black eyes as he had listened to it,
the instinctive movement in his powerful hand, as though to pounce,
vulturelike, on the letter--and his own qualm of anxiety--his sudden
sense of having gone too far--his insistence on discretion.
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