He felt that he was engaged in a real conspiracy.
'For fear of informers ?' he asked.
'Yes.

One never can be quite sure of anyone.

Of course, they can every one of them give information against me.

You can yourself, if you like.
But no one can betray anyone else, and as long as the men are safe, it doesn't matter what happens to me.' It was one of Miss Goold's weaknesses that she imagined herself to be an object of hatred and dread to the Government, and nothing irritated her more than a suspicion that she was not being taken seriously.
The first glimpse that Hyacinth got of the character of the men among whom he was to serve came to him through Tim Halloran.

Tim was still sore from the scolding he had been given for his conduct at the Rotunda meeting, and missed no opportunity of scoffing--not, of course, publicly, but among his friends--at Miss Goold and her volunteers.
Hyacinth avoided him as much as possible, but one evening he walked up against him on the narrow footway at the corner of George's Street.
Halloran was delighted, and seized him by the arm.
'You're the very man I wanted to see,' he said.