Nevertheless Frank Greystock, when he was invited to stand for Bobsborough
in the Conservative interest, had not for a moment allowed any political
heterodoxy on his own part to stand in the way of his advancement. It may,
perhaps, be the case that a barrister is less likely to be influenced by
personal convictions in taking his side in politics than any other man who
devotes himself to public affairs. No slur on the profession is intended
by this suggestion. A busy, clever, useful man, who has been at work all
his life, finds that his own progress towards success demands from him
that he shall become a politician. The highest work of a lawyer can be
reached only through political struggle. As a large-minded man of the
world, peculiarly conversant with the fact that every question has two
sides, and that as much may often be said on one side as on the other, he
has probably not become violent in his feelings as a political partisan.
Thus he sees that there is an opening here or an opening there, and the
offence in either case is not great to him. With Frank Greystock the
matter was very easy. There certainly was no apostasy. He had now and
again attacked his father's ultra Toryism, and rebuked his mother and
sisters when they spoke of Gladstone as Apollyon, and called John Bright
the Abomination of Desolation. But it was easy for him to fancy himself a
Conservative, and as such he took his seat in the House without any
feeling of discomfort.

During the first four months of his first session he had not spoken, but
he had made himself useful. He had sat on one or two committees, though as
a barrister he might have excused himself, and had done his best to learn
the forms of the House. But he had already begun to find that the time
which he devoted to Parliament was much wanted for his profession. Money
was very necessary to him. Then a new idea was presented to him.