Sentence:  "That" the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness <WSD>failed</WSD> him, he overcame you by sheer impudence. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To be wanting to, to be insufficient for, to disappoint, to desert.