They were in
the presence of that awe-inspiring thing, the power of scandal. Simple
statements of simple facts, without moral drawn (to which no legal
exception could be taken) laid before the public as pieces of
interesting information, or at the worst exposed in perfect good faith,
lest the public should blindly elect as their representative one whose
private life might not stand the inspection of daylight--what could be
more justifiable! And yet Miltoun's supporters knew that this simple
statement of where he spent his evenings had a poisonous potency,
through its power of stimulating that side of the human imagination the
most easily excited. They recognized only too well, how strong was a
certain primitive desire, especially in rural districts, by yielding to
which the world was made to go, and how remarkably hard it, was not to
yield to it, and how interesting and exciting to see or hear of others
yielding to it, and how (though here, of course, men might differ
secretly) reprehensible of them to do so! They recognized, too well, how
a certain kind of conscience would appreciate this rumour; and how
the puritans would lick their lengthened chops. They knew, too,
how irresistible to people of any imagination at all, was the mere
combination of a member of a class, traditionally supposed to be
inclined to having what it wanted, with a lady who lived alone! As
Harbinger said: It was really devilish awkward! For, to take any notice
of it would be to make more people than ever believe it true.
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