He went into the matter with all his energy, and before the debate
came on, knew much more about the seven thousand inhabitants of some
hundreds of thousands of square miles at the back of Canada, than
he did of the people of London or of County Clare. And he found
some consolation also in the good-nature of Madame Goesler, whose
drawing-room was always open to him. He could talk freely now to
Madame Goesler about Violet, and had even ventured to tell her that
once, in old days, he had thought of loving Lady Laura Standish.
He spoke of those days as being very old; and then he perhaps said
some word to her about dear little Mary Flood Jones. I think that
there was not much in his career of which he did not say something
to Madame Goesler, and that he received from her a good deal of
excellent advice and encouragement in the direction of his political
ambition. "A man should work," she said,--"and you do work. A woman
can only look on, and admire and long. What is there that I can do?
I can learn to care for these Canadians, just because you care for
them. If it was the beavers that you told me of, I should have to
care for the beavers." Then Phineas of course told her that such
sympathy from her was all and all to him. But the reader must not
on this account suppose that he was untrue in his love to Violet
Effingham.
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