No South African mines or other soul-agonising speculations for me; sweet security was what I craved, and I got it.

I could live with great comfort, even with modest splendour, upon about half my income, and the rest of it I purposed to lay out for my future benefit.

I had observed that brewers, merchants and other magnates with cash to spare are in due course elevated to the peerage.

Now I wished to be elevated to the peerage, and to spend an honoured and honourable old age as Lord Dunchester.

So when there was any shortage of the party funds, and such a shortage soon occurred on the occasion of an election, I posed as the friend round the corner.
Moreover, I had another aim.