None the less he resolutely pursued the idea of canvassing Belwick at the coming general election.
Opposition, from whomsoever it came, aggravated him.

He was more than ever troubled about the prospects of New Wanley; there even loomed before his mind a possible abandonment of the undertaking.

He had never contemplated the sacrifice of his fortune, and though anything of that kind was still very far off, it was daily more difficult for him to face with equanimity even moderate losses.

Money had fostered ambition, and ambition full grown had more need than ever of its nurse.

New Wanley was no longer an end in itself, but a stepping-stone You must come to your own conclusions in judging the value of Mutimer's social zeal; the facts of his life up to this time are before you, and you will not forget how complex a matter is the mind of a strong man with whom circumstances have dealt so strangely.