The chief qualities that had won him this general respect in his Office were, first, his extreme leniency, founded on a consciousness of his own defects; secondly, his true Liberalism – not that of which he read in his paper, but that which was in his blood and made him treat all men alike whatever their rank or official position; thirdly and chiefly, his complete indifference to the business he was engaged on, in consequence of which he was never carried away by enthusiasm and never made mistakes.
Las principales cualidades que le hacían ser respetado en su oficina eran, ante todo, su indulgencia con los demás –basada en el reconocimiento de sus propios defectos– y, después, su sincero liberalismo. No aquel liberalismo de que hablaban los periódicos, sino un liberalismo que llevaba en la sangre, y que le hacía tratar siempre del mismo modo a todos, sin distinción de posiciones y jerarquías, y finalmente –y era ésta la cualidad principal– la perfecta indiferencia que le inspiraba su cargo, lo que le permitía no entusiasmarse demasiado con él ni cometer errores.