All his life he had been carrying through agreements between conflicting interests: he was a great mediator and negotiator.

Now, he advocated what was, in strictness, an irregularity.

A task had been delegated to us: he asked us to delegate it again to a smaller group.

The whole case, he said, had been fully opened up; further debate would be no use; we all knew all the arguments.

He deprecated formal procedure; it was plainly a family quarrel, and we should treat it in that spirit.