CHAP. XIII. FAIR-WEATHER FRIENDS. 275 



sued towards him during* this eventful struggle, by 

 some from whom forbearance was to have been expected, 

 he never entertained towards them in after life any 

 angry feelings ; on the contrary, he forgave all. But 

 though the directors afterwards passed unanimous reso- 

 lutions eulogising " the great skill and unwearied energy" 

 of their engineer, he himself, when speaking confiden- 

 tially to those with whom he was most intimate, could 

 not help pointing out the difference between his " foul- 

 weather and fair-weather friends." Mr. Gooch says, 

 that though naturally most cheerful and kind-hearted in 

 his disposition, the anxiety and pressure which weighed 

 upon his mind during the construction of the railway, 

 had the effect of making him occasionally impatient and 

 irritable, like a spirited horse touched by the spur ; 

 though his original good nature from time to time shone 

 through it all. When the line had been brought to a 

 successful completion, a very marked change in him 

 became visible. The irritability passed away, and when 

 difficulties and vexations arose they w^ere treated by him 

 as matters of course, and with perfect composifre and 

 cheerfulness. 



RAILWAY versus ROAD. 



T 2 



