on't regret the purport of the words at
all, merely their being uttered at perhaps the wrong time. Well, that
sort of spirit isn't 'cricket,' as we understand it; and your
attitude, in professing to hold out a hand to the English section,
while the other is making secret signs to the Dutch, is what we call
trying to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds; and that is an
experiment being attempted by far too many of your colleagues just
now."

"I am doing nothing of the kind," he repudiated indignantly. "I am
standing by my countrymen, that they may maintain the dignity of their
nation and not be trampled under foot by the English."

"O fiddlesticks! No one wants to trample you under foot. We mostly
want to raise you. We want to broaden your outlook and widen your
views. But you know perfectly well that that means a great united
country, for the back-veldters might learn at last where strength lay;
and then your precious taal, traditions, and history will have to take
their proper place in the general scheme, and that will be on a plane
of equality and not blatantly on top."

Again he protested with outspread hands. "But we have a great country
now through union. You overlook the most important fact."

"We should have had," she corrected, "if the Bond in Cape Colony, and
Het Volk in the Transvaal, and the Unie in the Orange River Colony had
not chanced to be powerful enough to work almost entirely in the
interests of a Dutch South Africa all the time they were waving a
flag, and cheering the colours, and delivering orations on the beauty
of Union and their love for the great Mother Country, meaning the
Liberal Government, who mostly, it would seem, told them to do as they
like and please themselves and not make a fuss, so long as they called
it Union."

He turned to Meryl with a deprecating air, as if asking for her
support, and she smiled rather a tired smile and said, "It is only
that she has had to bottle it all up for a long time, as you were not
at hand. The next time you come she will be ready to smile on you."

"But I hope in the meantime you do not endorse the slander?..."

"I have plenty of hope to balance a certain amount of doubt; and if it
is any pleasure to you to know it, Diana never troubles to cross
swords with a man she has not considerable regard for."

He flushed and looked gratified, and Diana remarked coolly, "O, I've
lots of regard for you. I'm only sorry that a man who might be
brilli