better of the
Americans in a matter of fisheries or frontiers. But he invented a
pseudo-patriotic conjuring phraseology which no one understood but
which many admired. He was ambitious that it should be said of him
that he was far-and-away the cleverest of his party. He knew himself
to be clever. But he could only be far-and-away the cleverest by
saying and doing that which no one could understand. If he could
become master of some great hocus-pocus system which could be made to
be graceful to the ears and eyes of many, which might for awhile seem
to have within it some semi-divine attribute, which should have all
but divine power of mastering the loaves and fishes, then would they
who followed him believe in him more firmly than other followers who
had believed in their leaders. When you see a young woman read a
closed book placed on her dorsal vertebrae,--if you do believe that
she so reads it, you think that she is endowed with a wonderful
faculty! And should you also be made to believe that the same young
woman had direct communication with Abraham, by means of some
invisible wire, you would be apt to do a great many things as
that young woman might tell you. Conjuring, when not known to be
conjuring, is very effective.

Much, no doubt, of Sir Timothy's power had come from his praiseworthy
industry. Though he cared nothing for the making of laws, though he
knew nothing of finance, though he had abandoned his legal studies,
still he worked hard. And because he had worked harder in a special
direction than others around him, therefore he was enabled to lead
them. The management of a party is a very great work in itself; and
when to that is added the management of the House of Commons, a man
has enough upon his hands even though he neglects altogether the
ordinary pursuits of a Statesman. Those around Sir Timothy were fond
of their party; but they were for the most part men who had not
condescended to put their shoulders to the wheel as he had done. Had
there been any very great light among them, had there been a Pitt
or a Peel, Sir Timothy would have probably become Attorney-General
and have made his way to the bench;--but there had been no Pitt and
no Peel, and he had seen his opening. He had studied the ways of
Members. Parliamentary practice had become familiar to him. He had
shown himself to be ready at all hours to fight the battle of the
party he had joined. And no man knew so well as did Sir Timothy how
to e