He carried his point,
notwithstanding some sarcastic abuse and insinuations of half-
heartedness, which had touched also Caillaud and Zachariah, who
supported him. Zachariah was much depressed.
"Mr. Coleman, you are dull," said Pauline. "What is the matter?"
"Dull!--that's not exactly the word. I was thinking of to-morrow."
"Ah! I thought so. Well?"
Zachariah hesitated a little. "Is it worth all the trouble?" at last
he said, an old familiar doubt recurring to him--"Is it worth all the
trouble to save them? What are they?--and, after all, what can we do
for them? Suppose we succeed, and a hundred thousand creatures like
those who blackguarded us last week get votes, and get their taxes
reduced, and get all they want, what then?"
Pauline broke in with all the eagerness of a woman who is struck with
an idea--"Stop, stop, Mr. Coleman. Here is the mistake you make.
Grant it all--grant your achievement is ridiculously small--is it not
worth the sacrifice of two or three like you and me to accomplish it?
That is our error. We think ourselves of such mighty importance.
The question is, whether we are of such importance, and whether the
progress of the world one inch will not be cheaply purchased by the
annihilation of a score of us.
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