ght have been a good, and perhaps a great man; whereas Mr
Bott had been born small. Vavasor had educated himself to badness
with his eyes open. He had known what was wrong, and had done it,
having taught himself to think that bad things were best. But poor
Mr Bott had meant to do well, and thought that he had done very well
indeed. He was a tuft-hunter and a toady, but he did not know that he
was doing amiss in seeking to rise by tuft-hunting and toadying. He
was both mean and vain, both a bully and a coward, and in politics,
I fear, quite unscrupulous in spite of his grand dogmas; but he
believed that he was progressing in public life by the proper and
usual means, and was troubled by no idea that he did wrong.

Vavasor, in those dreamy moments of which I have spoken, would
sometimes feel tempted to cut his throat and put an end to himself,
because he knew that he had taught himself amiss. Again he would
sadly ask himself whether it was yet too late; always, however,
answering himself that it was too late. Even now, at this moment,
as he went in between the lamps, and felt much of the honest pride
of which I have spoken, he told himself that it was too late. What
could he do now, hampered by such a debt as that which he owed to his
cousin, and with the knowledge that it must be almost indefinitely
increased, unless he meant to give up this seat in Parliament, which
had cost him so dearly, almost before he had begun to enjoy it? But
his courage was good, and he was able to resolve that he would go on
with the business that he had in hand, and play out his game to the
end. He had achieved his seat in the House of Commons, and was so
far successful. Men who had ever been gracious to him were now more
gracious than ever, and they who had not hitherto treated him with
courtesy, now began to smile and to be very civil. It was, no doubt,
a great thing to have the privilege of that entrance between the
lamps.

Mr Bott had the new Member now in hand, not because there had been
any old friendship between them, but Mr Bott was on the look-out for
followers, and Vavasor was on the look-out for a party. A man gets
no great thanks for attaching himself to existing power. Our friend
might have enrolled himself among the general supporters of the
Government without attracting much attention. He would in such case
have been at the bottom of a long list. But Mr Palliser was a rising
man, round whom, almost without wish of his own, a p