"If I were you," came to be a familiar phrase in his ear. This was
particularly the case with political people; and they did it not
only from the natural infirmity of humanity, but because, when they
seemed reluctant or satisfied with him as he was, Lady Marayne egged
them on.
There was a general assumption that he was to go into Parliament,
and most of his counsellors assumed further that on the whole his
natural sympathies would take him into the Conservative party. But
it was pointed out to him that just at present the Liberal party was
the party of a young man's opportunity; sooner or later the swing of
the pendulum which would weed the Conservatives and proliferate
Liberals was bound to come, there was always more demand and
opportunity for candidates on the Liberal side, the Tariff Reformers
were straining their ministerial majority to the splitting point,
and most of the old Liberal leaders had died off during the years of
exile. The party was no longer dominated; it would tolerate ideas.
A young man who took a distinctive line--provided it was not from
the party point of view a vexatious or impossible line--might go
very rapidly far and high.
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