is marred or
made. Perhaps it often depends very much upon the main influence that
held sway when the moment came to leave off shouting. That moment had
come for van Hert, and he had the perspicacity to perceive it; though
whether he would have acted upon his wiser judgment, left entirely to
himself, it is impossible to say. It is, on the whole, pleasanter to
think that, just because he was a clever, capable, sincere man and
South Africa had need of such, the God of nations placed the matter
beyond all doubt by sending the right influence across his path.

Diana's mocking spirit loved to make game of heroics and big matters,
but it was an affectation and nothing more: as Meryl and Henry Pym had
long ago perceived, not van Hert himself nor Meryl cared more at heart
for the great questions of the day affecting South Africa, and through
her the Empire itself, since every year shows more clearly how
tremendously England's colonies must matter to the mother country. The
older and wiser men were already beginning to shake their heads over
the grave and difficult problem of the white races and the black; over
the tremendous increase of the latter in comparison, which threatened
to swamp the white man out of South Africa altogether. One thing was
obvious to all thinkers, the white races _must_ combine. Union must
indeed be Union and not an empty name. The Englishman and the Dutchman
_must_ join hands and sink differences, not only for the common good,
but the common safety. So when Diana's practical spirit perceived how
great and real an attraction van Hert had for her, she did not try to
put it from her and struggle against it because he was a Dutchman. The
moment she was sure, and the course was clear, she let herself go
fearlessly; not as an act of sacrifice at all, she was far too
practical to have much faith in a sacrifice such as Meryl had
conceived, but because she loved the man and believed in him, and had
no shadow of doubt as to his courage and sincerity if he were but
influenced to move in the right direction.

Well, he had stood on his tub and done his shouting right well; and
now he had a goodly following and was the object of not a little
execration, which is a usual thing for tub-shouters, and does not
matter very much. What mattered was whether he possessed the genius to
keep his followers and carry them along with him, after moderating his
views and coming into line with the older and wiser men. Diana
believe