My great object
in life, sir, is to reform the law of England, sir. Once get a
majority of Liberal members into the House, and the thing is
done. And I consider myself justified, for so high--for, I may
say, so holy--an end, in using men's weaknesses to work out my
purpose. Of course, if men were angels, or even immaculate--men
invulnerable to bribes, we would not bribe."
"Could you?" asked Jemima, for the conversation took place at Mr.
Bradshaw's dinner-table, where a few friends were gathered
together to meet Mr. Hickson; and among them was Mr. Benson.
"We neither would nor could," said the ardent barrister,
disregarding in his vehemence the point of the question, and
floating on over the bar of argument into the wide ocean of his
own eloquence: "As it is--as the world stands, they who would
succeed even in good deeds must come down to the level of
expediency; and therefore, I say once more, if Mr. Donne is the
man for your purpose, and your purpose is a good one, a lofty
one, a holy one" (for Mr. Hickson remembered the Dissenting
character of his little audience, and privately considered the
introduction of the word "holy" a most happy hit), "then, I say,
we must put all the squeamish scruples which might befit Utopia,
or some such place, on one side and treat men as they are. If
they are avaricious, it is not we who have made them so; but as
we have to do with them, we must consider their failings in
dealing with them; if they have been careless or extravagant, or
have had their little peccadilloes, we must administer the screw.
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