THE TURNCOAT 299 



Who will ever forget that painful scene in 

 court when, in a voice that was scarcely audible 

 above the sobs of the spectators, the Senior 

 Telephone Commissioner read aloud the first 

 page of Sir Theodore's own passbook: " Self, £50; 

 Self, £24; London Hospital, 5s.; Self, £245; Self 

 £67; Lady Biffin (Housekeeping Account), 

 £2 10s.; Self, £35; Self, £500." Who will ever 

 forget the look on my uncle's face as he left the 

 court a broken man, never more to hold his 

 head up in public again ? 



Britain had lost confidence in her idol; when 

 he attempted to stand for election at the Junior 

 Bath Club he received twice as many black 

 balls as there were members voting, some of the 

 latter, in their frenzied eagerness to ensure his 

 exclusion, having dropped in three or four. 

 And later, when another Member of Parliament 

 was appointed to the Stewardship of the Chiltern 

 Hundreds, though my uncle never uttered a 

 word of protest, he thenceforth unostentatiously 

 discontinued his performance of the arduous 

 duties that attach to this lofty office. " If I had 

 only known," he said to me afterwards, in 

 mournful accents which brought tears to my 

 eyes, "if I had only known — I would have 

 bought those Telephone Shares in my dear 

 mother's name !" 



Yes. In the eyes of the world Sir Theodore 



