ming, scene
between Rufus and George on the following Sunday. George had to give
evidence on the Monday--the following day--and Rufus discovered that
George was still in a perfect fog as to what his transaction really
had been, and began talking about "buying a bear." I have never seen
Rufus so nearly lose his temper, and George got extremely sulky,
while Rufus patiently reminded him what he had paid, what he still
owed, when he had paid it, who to, and what for. It was on that
occasion also that Charlie and Rufus tried to impress upon him with
all the force in their power to avoid technical terms and to stick as
closely as possible to the plainest and most ordinary language. _As
is well known, George made a great success of his evidence_.*
(Italics mine.)

[* _C. F. G. Masterman_, p. 255.]

I cannot imagine why she thought so. Hugh O'Donnell's description in
the _New Witness_ of Isaacs and Lloyd George as they appeared before
the Committee accords perfectly with the impression produced by a
reading of the evidence:

. . . While the simile of a panther at bay, anxious to escape, but
ready with tooth and claw, might be applied to Sir Rufus Isaacs,
something more like "a rat in a corner" might be suggested by the
restless, snapping, furious little figure which succeeded. Let us
compromise by saying that Mr. Lloyd George was singularly like a
spitting, angry cat, which had got, perhaps, out of serious danger
from her pursuers, but which caterwauled and spat and swore with
vigour and venomousness quite surprising in that diminutive bulk.
"Dastardly," "dishonourable," "disgraceful," "disreputable,"
"skulking," "cowardly!"

Asked why he had not mentioned his Marconi purchases in the House of
Commons, Lloyd George gave two answers: (1) "There was no time on a
Friday afternoon" (2) "I could not get up and take time when two
Ministers had already spoken." Why had he not asked to be heard
sooner by the Committee? He understood that Sir Rufus had expressed
the willingness of all the accused Ministers to be heard. Like Sir
Rufus, Lloyd George mentioned that he had lost money on his Marconi
transactions.

The obstruction within the Committee continued to the end. The
question had arisen whether Godfrey had had the right to sell the
shares at his own price or for his own profit. He had sold a
considerable number of shares to relations and friends at L1.1.3,
whe