In public affairs, no less
than in private, Lord Hartington's decisions carried an
extraordinary weight. The feeling of his idle friends in high
society was shared by the great mass of the English people; here
was a man they could trust. For indeed he was built upon a
pattern which was very dear to his countrymen. It was not simply
that he was honest: it was that his honesty was an English
honesty--an honest which naturally belonged to one who, so it
seemed to them, was the living image of what an Englishman should
be.
In Lord Hartington they saw, embodied and glorified, the very
qualities which were nearest to their hearts--impartiality,
solidity, common sense--the qualities by which they themselves
longed to be distinguished, and by which, in their happier
moments, they believed they were. If ever they began to have
misgivings, there, at any rate, was the example of Lord
Hartington to encourage them and guide them--Lord Hartington who
was never self-seeking, who was never excited, and who had no
imagination at all. Everything they knew about him fitted into
the picture, adding to their admiration and respect. His fondness
for field sports gave them a feeling of security; and certainly
there could be no nonsense about a man who confessed to two
ambitions--to become Prime Minister and to win the Derby--and who
put the second above the first.
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