How were they likely to serve him for the greater purpose whereto this instruction was only preliminary?
When he looked forward to that, he had to fix his eyes on Grail and forget the others.

He was beginning to regret that the choice of those to whom his invitations were sent had depended upon Bower; another man might have aided him more effectually.

Yet the fact was that Bower's selection had been a remarkably good one.

It would have been difficult to assemble nine Lambeth workmen of higher aggregate intellect than those who responded to the summons; it would have been, on the other hand, the easiest thing to find nine with not a man of them available for anything more than futile wrangling over politics or religion.
Egremont would know this some day; he was yet young in social reform.
And the lectures?
It is not too much to say that they were good.
Egremont had capacity for teaching; with his education, had he been without resources, he would probably have chosen an academic career, and have done service in it.

There was nothing deep in his style of narrative and criticism, and here depth was not wanted; sufficient that he was perspicuous and energetic.