"You astonish me!--I have read the papers this morning. I see not even a vacancy, much less an election." "It is all managed by the lawyer and the banker. In other words, my seat is a close borough." "No bore of constituents. I congratulate you, and envy. I wish I were in parliament myself." "You! I never fancied you bitten by the political mania." "Political!--no. But it is the most respectable way, with luck, of living on the public. Better than swindling." "A candid way of viewing the question. But I thought at one time you were half a Benthamite, and that your motto was, 'The greatest happiness of the greatest number.'" "The greatest number to me is number /one/. I agree with the Pythagoreans--unity is the perfect principle of creation! Seriously, how can you mistake the principles of opinion for the principles of conduct? I am a Benthamite, a benevolist, as a logician--but the moment I leave the closet for the world, I lay aside speculation for others, and act for myself." "You are, at least, more frank than prudent in these confessions." "There you are wrong. It is by affecting to be worse than we are that we become popular--and we get credit for being both honest and practical fellows. My uncle's mistake is to be a hypocrite in words: it rarely answers. Be frank in words, and nobody will suspect hypocrisy in your designs." Maltravers gazed hard at Ferrers--something revolted and displeased his high-wrought Platonism in the easy wisdom of his old friend. But he felt, almost for the first time, that Ferrers was a man to get on in the world--and he sighed; I hope it was for the world's sake. After a short conversation on indifferent matters, Cleveland was announced; and Ferrers, who could make nothing out of Cleveland, soon withdrew. Ferrers was now becoming an economist in his time. "My dear Maltravers," said Cleveland, when they were alone, "I am so glad to see you; for, in the first place, I rejoice to find you are extending your career of usefulness." "Usefulness--ah, let me think so! Life is so uncertain and so short, that we cannot too soon bring the little it can yield into the great commonwealth of the Beautiful or the Honest; and both belong to and make up the Useful. But in politics, and in a highly artificial state, what doubts beset us! what darkness surrounds! If we connive at abuses, we juggle with our own reason and integrity--if we attack them, how much, how fatally we may derange that solemn and conventional ORDER which is the mainspring of the vast machine! How little, too, can one man, whose talents may not be in that coarse road--in that mephitic atmosphere, be enabled to effect!"