1.
Ashe had in these days been dallying with temptation. He contrived not
to confess it to himself, but by a variety of ingenious devices to
cheat his conscience into the belief that he was serving the church by
his consultations with Mrs. Fenton, his services to her charity work,
and his continual thought of her views in regard to the election. It is
amazing how clever even a dull man may be when it comes to inventing
excuses for his own beguiling; and Philip struggled with such
desperation to convince himself that he was acting disinterestedly that
he all but succeeded. He could not, however, achieve what is
impossible; and there was a pain in the heart of the young man which
testified that his sense of right was sore despite all his cunning.
At the meeting of the Charity Board to which Mr. Strathmore had been
going, Ashe sat beside Mrs. Fenton. His obvious excuse was that she was
to make a report, and that he, as a visitor in her district, was able
to support her in case there were any discussion. The session had been
looked forward to with much interest, from the general feeling that
there would probably be something like a conflict between the Frontford
and Strathmore factions.
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