eminent victorians-第65章

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steps　had　yet　been　taken　by　the　Government　to　save　him。



On　the　5th；　there　was　a　meeting　of　protest　and　indignation　at　St。

James's　Hall；　on　the　9th　there　was　a　mass　meeting　in　Hyde　Park；

on　the　11th　there　was　a　meeting　at　Manchester。　The　Baroness

Burdett…Coutts　wrote　an　agitated　letter　to　〃The　Times〃　begging

for　further　subscriptions。　Somebody　else　proposed　that　a　special

fund　should　be　started　with　which　'to　bribe　the　tribes　to　secure

the　General's　personal　safety'。　A　country　vicar　made　another

suggestion。　Why　should　not　public　prayers　be　offered　up　for

General　Gordon　in　every　church　in　the　kingdom？　He　himself　had

adopted　that　course　last　Sunday。　'Is　not　this；'　he　concluded；

'what　the　godly　man；　the　true　hero；　himself　would　wish　to　be

done？'　It　was　all　of　no　avail。　General　Gordon　remained　in　peril；

the　Government　remained　inactive。　Finally；　a　vote　of　censure　was

moved　in　the　House　of　Commons；　but　that　too　proved　useless。　It

was　strange；　the　same　executive　which；　two　months　before；　had

trimmed　its　sails　so　eagerly　to　the　shifting　gusts　of　popular

opinion；　now；　in　spite　of　a　rising　hurricane；　held　on　its　course。

A　new　spirit；　it　was　clear　a　determined；　an　intractable　spirit…

…　had　taken　control　of　the　Sudan　situation。　What　was　it？　The

explanation　was　simple；　and　it　was　ominous。　Mr。　Gladstone　had

intervened。



The　old　statesman　was　now　entering　upon　the　penultimate　period　of

his　enormous　career。　He　who　had　once　been　the　rising　hope　of　the

stern　and　unbending　Tories；　had　at　length　emerged；　after　a

lifetime　of　transmutations；　as　the　champion　of　militant

democracy。　He　was　at　the　apex　of　his　power。　His　great　rival　was

dead；　he　stood　pre…eminent　in　the　eye　of　the　nation；　he　enjoyed

the　applause；　the　confidence；　the　admiration；　the　adoration；

even；　of　multitudes。　Yet　such　was　the　peculiar　character　of　the

man；　and　such　was　the　intensity　of　the　feelings　which　he　called

forth　at　this　very　moment；　at　the　height　of　his　popularity；　he

was　distrusted　and　loathed；　already　an　unparalleled　animosity　was

gathering　its　forces　against　him。　For；　indeed；　there　was

something　in　his　nature　which　invited　which　demanded　the

clashing　reactions　of　passionate　extremes。　It　was　easy　to　worship

Mr。　Gladstone；　to　see　in　him　the　perfect　model　of　the　upright

manthe　man　of　virtue　and　of　religion　the　man　whose　whole　life

had　been　devoted　to　the　application　of　high　principles　to　affairs

of　State；　the　man；　too；　whose　sense　of　right　and　justice　was

invigorated　and　ennobled　by　an　enthusiastic　heart。　It　was　also

easy　to　detest　him　as　a　hypocrite；　to　despise　him　as　a　demagogue；

and　to　dread　him　as　a　crafty　manipulator　of　men　and　things　for

the　purposes　of　his　own　ambition。



It　might　have　been　supposed　that　one　or　other　of　these

conflicting　judgments　must　have　been　palpably　absurd；　that

nothing　short　of　gross　prejudice　or　wilful　blindness；　on　one　side

or　the　other；　could　reconcile　such　contradictory　conceptions　of　a

single　human　being。　But　it　was　not　so；　'the　elements'　were　'so

mixed'　in　Mr。　Gladstone　that　his　bitterest　enemies　（and　his

enemies　were　never　mild）　and　his　warmest　friends　（and　his　friends

were　never　tepid）　could　justify；　with　equal　plausibility；　their

denunciations　or　their　praises。　What；　then；　was　the　truth？　In　the

physical　universe　there　are　no　chimeras。　But　man　is　more　various

than　nature；　was　Mr。　Gladstone；　perhaps；　a　chimera　of　the　spirit？

Did　his　very　essence　lie　in　the　confusion　of　incompatibles？　His

very　essence？　It　eludes　the　hand　that　seems　to　grasp　it。　One　is

baffled；　as　his　political　opponents　were　baffled　fifty　years　ago。

The　soft　serpent　coils　harden　into　quick　strength　that　has

vanished；　leaving　only　emptiness　and　perplexity　behind。　Speech

was　the　fibre　of　his　being；　and；　when　he　spoke；　the　ambiguity　of

ambiguity　was　revealed。　The　long；　winding；　intricate　sentences；

with　their　vast　burden　of　subtle　and　complicated　qualifications；

befogged　the　mind　like　clouds；　and　like　clouds；　too；　dropped

thunder　bolts。　Could　it　not　then　at　least　be　said　of　him　with

certainty　that　his　was　a　complex　character？　But　here　also　there

was　a　contradiction。



In　spite　of　the　involutions　of　his　intellect　and　the　contortions

of　his　spirit；　it　is　impossible　not　to　perceive　a　strain　of

naivete　in　Mr。　Gladstone。　He　adhered　to　some　of　his　principles

that　of　the　value　of　representative　institutions；　for　instance

with　a　faith　which　was　singularly　literal；　his　views　upon

religion　were　uncritical　to　crudeness；　he　had　no　sense　of　humour。

Compared　with　Disraeli's；　his　attitude　towards　life　strikes　one

as　that　of　an　ingenuous　child。　His　very　egoism　was　simple…minded；

through　all　the　labyrinth　of　his　passions　there　ran　a　single

thread。　But　the　centre　of　the　labyrinth？　Ah！　the　thread　might

lead　there；　through　those　wandering　mazes；　at　last。　Only；　with

the　last　corner　turned；　the　last　step　taken；　the　explorer　might

find　that　he　was　looking　down　into　the　gulf　of　a　crater。　The

flame　shot　out　on　every　side；　scorching　and　brilliant；　but　in　the

midst；　there　was　a　darkness。



That　Mr。　Gladstone's　motives　and　ambitions　were　not　merely　those

of　a　hunter　after　popularity　was　never　shown　more　clearly　than　in

that　part　of　his　career　which；　more　than　any　other；　has　been

emphasised　by　his　enemieshis　conduct　towards　General　Gordon。　He

had　been　originally　opposed　to　Gordon's　appointment；　but　he　had

consented　to　it　partly；　perhaps；　owing　to　the　persuasion　that　its

purpose　did　not　extend　beyond　the　making　of　a　'report'。　Gordon

once　gone；　events　had　taken　their　own　course；　the　policy　of　the

Government　began　to　slide；　automatically；　down　a　slope　at　the

bottom　of　which　lay　the　conquest　of　the　Sudan　and　the　annexation

of　Egypt。　Sir　Gerald　Graham's　bloody　victories　awoke　Mr。

Gladstone　to　the　true　condition　of　affairs；　he　recognised　the

road　he　was　on　and　its　destination；　but　there　was　still　time　to

turn　back。



It　was　he　who　had　insisted　upon　the　withdrawal　of　the　English

army　from　the　Eastern　Sudan。　The　imperialists　were　sadly

disappointed。　They　had　supposed　that　the　old　lion　had　gone　to

sleep；　and　suddenly　he　had　come　out　of　his　lair；　and　was　roaring。

All　their　hopes　now　centred　upon　Khartoum。　General　Gordon　was　cut

off；　he　was　surrounded；　he　was　in　danger；　he　must　be　relieved。　A

British　force　must　be　sent　to　save　him。　But　Mr。　Gladstone　was　not

to　be　caught　napping　a　second　time。　When　the　agitation　rose；　when

popular　sentiment　was　deeply　stirred；　when　the　country；　the

Press；　the　Sovereign　herself；　declared　that　the　national　honour

was　involved　with　the　fate　of　General　Gordon；　Mr。　Gladstone

remained　immovable。　Others　might　picture　the　triumphant　rescue　of

a　Christian　hero　from　the　clutches　of　heathen　savages；　before　HIS

eyes　was　the　vision　of　battle；　murder；　and　sudden　death；　the

horrors　of　defeat　and　victory；　the　slaughter　and　the　anguish　of

thousands；　the　violence　of　military　domination；　the　enslavement

of　a　people。



The　invasion　of　the　Sudan；　he　had　flashed　out　in　the　House　of

Commons；　would　be　a　war　of　conquest　against　a　people　struggling

to　be　free。　'Yes；　those　people　are　struggling　to　be　free；　and

they　are　rightly　struggling　to　be　free。'　Mr。　Gladstoneit　was

one　of　his　old…fashioned　simplicitiesbelieved　in　liberty。　If；

indeed；　it　should　turn　out　to　be　the　fact　that　General　Gordon　was

in　serious　danger；　then；　no　doubt；　it　would　be　necessary　to　send

a　relief　expedition　to　Khartoum。　But；　he　could　see　no　sufficient

reason　to　believe　that　it　was　the　fact。　Communications；　it　was

true；　had　been　interrupted　between　Khartoum　and　Cairo；　but　no

news　was　not　necessarily　bad　news；　and　the　little　information

that　had　come　through　from　General　Gordon　seemed　to　indicate　that

he　could　hold　out　for　months。　So　his　agile　mind　worked；　spinning

its　familiar　web　of　possibilities　and　contingencies　and　fine

distinctions。　General　Gordon；　he　was　convinced；　might　be　hemmed

in；　but　he　was　not　surrounded。　Surely；　it　was　the　duty　of　the