ion . . . and it seemed to me that it might
almost savour of presumption if I had asked the Committee to take my
evidence or any Minister's evidence, out of the ordinary turn in
which the Committee desired it." All the same he had once written a
letter to the Committee asking to be heard but "on consideration did
not send it."

During his examination the element of strain between the two parties
on the Committee, which had been evident throughout the enquiry, was
very much intensified--Lord Robert Cecil and the Conservatives
courteously but tenaciously trying to get at the truth, the
Ministerialists determined to shield their man. There is a most
unpleasing contrast between the earlier bullying of the journalists
(who after all were not on trial) and the deference the majority now
showed to Ministers (who were).

Rufus Isaacs twisted and turned incredibly. But he did admit to Lord
Robert Cecil that he had obtained the shares before they were
available to the general public and at a price lower than that at
which they were afterwards introduced to them. He tried later to
modify this admission by saying that he had been told of dealings by
others before April 17, but he could give no details: and the
evidence of the Marconi Company's broker (quoted above) is decisive.

Two points of special interest emerged from his evidence. The first
was that he had not told the whole story in the _Matin_ case. He now
mentioned that Lloyd George and Elibank had sold a further 1000 of
the shares he held for them on the second day, July 20; and went on
to tell of the purchase of 3000 shares by the same pair, the
so-called "bear" transaction of May 22. The second was more
unpleasing still. He admitted that he had told the story of the
American Marconis privately to two friends _on the Committee_--
Messrs. Falconer and Booth--who had kept the matter to themselves and
had--or at least appeared to have--continually steered the Committee
away from this dangerous ground. Rufus Isaacs' son actually says that
his father "had informed Mr. Falconer and Mr. Handel Booth privately
of these transactions, in order that they might be forearmed when the
journalists came to give evidence."*

[* _Rufus Isaacs, First Marquess of Reading_, p. 256.]

On March 28 Lloyd George appeared before the Committee. Mrs. Charles
Masterman gives an account of Rufus Isaacs grooming Lloyd George for
the event:

There was a really very comic, though somewhat alar