politics as in everything else.  And I shall feel a positive pleasure, far above that of seeing him first, in seeing him give so undoubted a proof of disinterestedness and patriotism as consenting to be second, if that were all.  But oh, the danger of other sacrifices—­sacrifices as fatal as that one would be honourable to his name—­and oh, the infinite shades and grades of want of high motives and aims which, at such a time, one is doomed to find out in the buzzers who hover round the house—­while the honest and pure and upright keep away and are silent.  At times I almost wish I could throw away all that is honest and pure and upright, as useless and inconvenient rubbish of which I am half ashamed.  I never felt more keenly or heavily the immeasurable distance between earth and heaven than now, when after the day has been spent in listening to the plausibilities of commonplace politicians, I open my Bible at night.  It is going from darkness into light.

And now you have had enough of my grumpiness, and I shall only add that all has not been pain and mortification.  On the contrary, some men have come out bright and true as they were sure to do, and have shown themselves real friends to John and the country, and redeemed the class of politicians from a sweeping condemnation which would be most unjust.

After much hesitation Lord John determined to serve under Lord Aberdeen.  He was persuaded to do so, in spite of strong misgivings, by the Queen, who was anxious to avoid the last resort of calling in Palmerston; her request was backed by the appeals of his most trusted political friends.

    Queen Victoria to Lord John Russell

    OSBORNE, December 19, 1852

The Queen has to-day charged Lord Aberdeen with the duty of forming an Administration, which he has accepted.  The Queen thinks the moment to have arrived when a popular, efficient, and durable Government could be formed by the sincere and united efforts of all parties professing Conservative and Liberal opinions.  The Queen, knowing that this can only be effected by the patriotic sacrifice of personal interests and feelings to the public, trusts that Lord John Russell will, as far as he is able, give his valuable and powerful assistance to the realization of this object.

Lord John’s hesitation seems to have been not unnaturally interpreted by many contemporaries as the reluctance of an ex-Prime Minister to take a subordinate position, and some records of this impression have found their way into history.  We have Lady John’s assurance that “this never for one moment weighed with him,” and that his hesitation was entirely due to “the improbability of agreement in a Cabinet so composed, and therefore the probable evil to the country.”  His true feeling was shown by a remark made at that time by Lady John, that her husband would not mind being “shoeblack to Lord Aberdeen” if it would serve the country. [40]