s
respect for property and tradition, and knew in any case that he was the
only possible man. Then came the middle-class liberals, who had held
predominance since 1832, who were captivated by Mr. Gladstone's genius for
finance and business, and who revered his high moral ideals. Third, there
was the left wing, not strong in parliament but with a certain backing
among the workmen, who thought their leader too fond of the church, too
deferential to the aristocracy, and not plain enough and thorough enough
for a reforming age. The murmurs and suspicions of these hard and logical
utilitarians of the left galled Mr. Gladstone as ungrateful. Phillimore
records of him at this moment:--

_Feb. 21, 1872._--Gladstone in high spirits and in rather a
conservative mood. 29.--Gladstone sees that the time is fast coming
when he must sever himself from his extreme supporters. He means
to take the opportunity of retiring on the fair plea that he does
not like to oppose those who have shown such great confidence in
him, or to join their and his opponents. The plea seems good for
retirement, but not for refraining in his individual capacity from
supporting a government which is liberal and conservative.

Here is a sketch from the Aberdare papers of the temper and proceedings of
the session:--

_April 19._--We have had a disastrous week--three defeats, of which
much the least damaging was that on local taxation, where we
defended the public purse against a dangerous raid. There is no
immediate danger to be apprehended from them. But these defeats
lower prestige, encourage the discontented and envious, and
animate the opposition. I think that Gladstone, who behaved
yesterday with consummate judgment and temper, is personally very
indifferent at the result. He is vexed at the ingratitude of men
for whom he has done such great things which would have been
simply impossible without him, and would not be unwilling to leave
them for a while to their own guidance, and his feeling is shared
by many of the ministry. Our measures must for the most part be
taken up by our successors, and we should of course be too happy
to help them. But I don't see the end near, although, of course,
everybody is speculating.

Yet business was done. Progress of a certain kind was made in the thorny
field of the better regulation of public houses, but Mr. Gladstone