"
"Labour of course there must be,--though I doubt whether it is
so great as that of some other persons;--and responsibility. The
amount of trouble depends on the spirit and nature of the man.
Do you remember old Lord Brock? He was never troubled. He had
a triple shield,--a thick skin, an equable temper, and perfect
self-confidence. Mr. Mildmay was of a softer temper, and would have
suffered had he not been protected by the idolatry of a large class
of his followers. Mr. Gresham has no such protection. With a finer
intellect than either, and a sense of patriotism quite as keen, he
has a self-consciousness which makes him sore at every point. He
knows the frailty of his temper, and yet cannot control it. And he
does not understand men as did these others. Every word from an enemy
is a wound to him. Every slight from a friend is a dagger in his
side. But I can fancy that self-accusations make the cross on which
he is really crucified. He is a man to whom I would extend all my
mercy, were it in my power to be merciful.
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