‘I’m glad to hear you say that,’ said Chrystal. ‘Now I’m going to put our cards on the table. If this election does go to the Visitor, I’ve got a view as to what will happen. It won’t mean your candidate getting in. It won’t mean ours. It will mean a third party foisted on us.’
‘What do you think?’ Francis Getliffe asked Despard-Smith.
‘I’m reluctantly bound to say that the Dean is right,’ said Despard-Smith. He spoke, like Chrystal a few days before, as though he had the certainty of inside knowledge. I wondered if he had discovered anything through his clerical acquaintances. I wondered also if it was from him that Chrystal had picked up the hint. They were supporting each other at this table. And Despard — Smith’s support was still, at the age of seventy, worth having. He was completely certain of his judgement. He poured himself another large whisky, and delivered an unshakeable opinion. ‘I deeply regret to say it,’ said the old clergyman, ‘but the Dean is right. The way the Bench is appointed nowadays is of course disastrous. The average is wretchedly low. Even judged by that low average, this man doesn’t carry a level dish. He can be relied upon to inflict some unsuitable person upon us.’
‘Do you want that?’ said Chrystal vigorously.
‘I don’t,’ said Francis Getliffe.
‘I don’t myself,’ said Chrystal.
‘It doesn’t sound specially inviting,’ I said.
Winslow gave a sarcastic smile.
‘It somewhat depends,’ he said, ‘whether one would prefer either of our candidates to an unknown. I dare say some of you might. It may not be a completely universal view.’
‘You mean there may be people who won’t mind it going to the Visitor, Winslow,’ said Chrystal. ‘If they’re determined to keep one of the candidates out at any costs.’
‘Precisely, my dear Dean,’ said Winslow.
Brown looked from Winslow to Chrystaclass="underline" his eyes were sharp but troubled as they moved from his opponent to his ally.
‘I think the time has almost come to explain where we stand,’ he said. ‘My own position hasn’t altered since last January. I’m convinced that Jago is the right man for us, and so I’ve never thought any further. I think I can say that Crawford wouldn’t be my second choice, if I’m forced to speak offhand.’
‘My dear Brown,’ said Winslow, ‘Jago wouldn’t be my third choice. I don’t find it easy to decide what number of choice he actually would be.’
‘That being my position,’ said Brown, ‘I shouldn’t be averse to passing the decision to the Visitor, if we couldn’t scrape up a majority for Jago.’
‘My reason is the exact opposite,’ said Winslow. ‘But I find myself surprisingly in agreement with the Tutor. I shan’t worry if the Bishop has to use his wisdom.’
‘I shall,’ I said. ‘For once I disagree with Brown. I’d rather have either of those two than anyone in the field. I’d certainly rather have either than anyone the Bishop is likely to choose.’
‘Good work,’ said Francis Getliffe, in a quick, comradely manner, as in the days when we were always on the same side. ‘I’m with Eliot there. I’m not in favour of Jago, but I’d rather put up with him than the Bishop’s nominee.’
We all turned to Despard-Smith. He took a long sip from his glass, and said with deep solemnity: ‘I too find myself among the Laodiceans.’ He added, so gravely that no one took account of the anticlimax: ‘I’ve never been ready to buy a p-pig in a poke.’
‘Yes,’ said Chrystal. ‘Well, none of you will be surprised to hear how I feel.’ He was addressing himself to Brown. ‘I’m not voting for Jago to keep Crawford out. I’m voting for him because I think he’s the better man. But either will do.’ He went on: ‘So that’s four of us flat against letting it go to the Visitor. I regard that as enough reason to explore a bit further.’
Brown was looking flushed and concerned, but he said: ‘I have made my reservations, but I am sure we should all like to hear what the Dean has in mind. We all know that it’s bound to be valuable.’ He was uneasy, I knew, but his affability covered him. I wondered whether it was friendship for Chrystal or party loyalty which had caused him to give help at this point. Almost certainly both — it was like him to mix policy and warm-heartedness without thinking, it was just that mixture which made him so astute.
‘Would you like to stay and hear it, Winslow?’ said Despard-Smith.
‘If you please,’ Winslow said indifferently. ‘If you please.’
‘Right,’ said Chrystal. ‘First of all I want to count heads. I regard Jago as having five votes certain as far as votes can be certain in a college — I mean three of us here and our two young men, Calvert and Luke. Pilbrow has promised to vote several times — but I’m not going to mince matters either way. He may even not come back, he’s not specially interested in this election.’
‘That’s fair enough,’ said Francis Getliffe with a sudden creased smile.
Chrystal went on: ‘I regard your side as having four votes certain. Yourselves and Nightingale. Nightingale can’t cross over again, or he’ll make the place too hot to hold him. You’re also counting on Gay, but I set him off against Pilbrow. He may have forgotten the name of your candidate before the election. He may vote for himself.’
‘I have no doubt,’ said Despard-Smith, ‘that Gay will weigh his vote.’
‘No, we’ve got to be fair,’ said Francis Getliffe. ‘We can’t rely on him. Chrystal has been quite objective.’
‘Remarkably so,’ Winslow added. ‘But what does it all lead to? Bring it to a point, my dear Dean.’
‘I shall get there in one minute,’ said Chrystal. ‘But I didn’t want to hide the facts. Jago is in the stronger position. There are no two ways about it. I don’t want to hide it: if I did, you would have a right to think I was going in for sharp practice. What I’m going to suggest may put Jago in. It will almost certainly put one of the two in. It will save us from the Visitor.’ He paused and then said with extreme crispness: ‘I suggest that we make ourselves clear to the two candidates. We tell them that four of us — or five or six if Brown or Winslow like to come in — will not tolerate this matter going to the Visitor. We tell them that they must vote for each other. It’s the only way to bring a majority within reach. If they refuse, we say that we’ll form a majority for another person. This will be someone we decide on. Not an outsider fobbed off on us by the Bishop. If we’re forced to have a third candidate, we’ll choose him ourselves.’ Chrystal broke into a smile. ‘But it will never come to that.’
‘I must say that it’s a beautiful thought,’ said Winslow.
‘It doesn’t look unreasonable,’ said Francis Getliffe.
‘I take it that it hasn’t escaped you, Dean,’ said Winslow, ‘that your candidate commands a probable six votes — and Crawford’s will neatly get him home?’
‘I went out of my way to explain that,’ said Chrystal. ‘I said perfectly clearly that it might happen. I repeat: this is a way to escape the Visitor. So far as I can see; it’s the only way.’
‘That may very well be true,’ said Francis Getliffe.
‘I cannot remember any step of this kind during my association with the college. It is a grave step even to consider. It is absolutely unprecedented,’ said Despard-Smith. ‘But I feel we owe it to the college to consider the suggestion with the utmost seriousness. To let the Visitor s-saddle us with some incubus of his own would in my judgement be an unmitigated disaster.’
From those first moments it was certain that Despard-Smith and Francis would support Chrystal’s move in the long run. Their first response was ‘yes!’, however much they wrapped it round later. They seemed to be saying yes spontaneously even though it looked like giving Jago the game. They seemed to have lost their heads. Yet they were each of them strong-willed and hard-headed men.