He had frequently said to his intimate friends, that in official writing, style was everything; and of his writing it certainly did form a very prominent part.
He knew well, none perhaps so well, when to beg leave to lay before the Board--and when simply to submit to the Commissioners.
He understood exactly to whom it behoved the secretary 'to have the honour of being a very humble servant,' and to whom the more simple 'I am, sir,' was a sufficiently civil declaration.

These are qualifications great in official life, but were not quite so much esteemed at the time of which we are speaking as they had been some few years previously.
There was but one other named as likely to stand with any probability of success, and he was Alaric Tudor.

Among the very juniors of the office he was regarded as the great star of the office.

There was a dash about him and a quick readiness for any work that came to hand in which, perhaps, he was not equalled by any of his compeers.

Then, too, he was the special friend of Sir Gregory.
But no one had yet heard Tudor say that he intended to compete with his seven seniors--none yet knew whether he would put himself forward as an adversary to his own especial friend, Norman.