Your father takes a leading part; he is a great
orator, and is in his element in this clamorous and fiery
life. It does not much suit me; I am a man of the closet.
This Convention, as you well know, was never much .to my
taste. Their Charter is a coarse specific for our social
evils. The spirit that would cure our ills must be of a
deeper and finer mood."
"Then why are you here?" said Sybil.
Morley shrugged his shoulders, and then said "An easy
question. Questions are always easy. The fact is, in active
life one cannot afford to refine. I could have wished the
movement to have taken a different shape and to have worked
for a different end; but it has not done this. But it is
still a movement and a great one, and I must work it for my
end and try to shape it to my form. If I had refused to be a
leader, I should not have prevented the movement; I should
only have secured my own insignificance."
"But my father has not these fears; he is full of hope and
exultation," said Sybil. "And surely it is a great thing that
the people should have their Parliament lawfully meeting in
open day, and their delegates from the whole realm declaring
their grievances in language which would not disgrace the
conquering race which has in vain endeavoured to degrade them.
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