was why I came straight to you, bringing an open mind
to bear on things. I'm anxious to know what popular feeling in India
is really like y'know, now that it has wakened into political life.
The National Congress, in spite of Dawlishe, must have caused great
excitement among the masses?"

"On the contrary, nothing could be more tranquil than the state of
popular feeling; and as to excitement, the people would as soon be
excited over the 'Rule of Three' as over the Congress."

"Excuse me, Orde, but do you think you are a fair judge? Isn't the
official Anglo-Indian naturally jealous of any external influences
that might move the masses, and so much opposed to liberal ideas, truly
liberal ideas, that he can scarcely be expected to regard a popular
movement with fairness?"

"What did Dawlishe say about Tommy Rot? Think a moment, old man. You
and I were brought up together; taught by the same tutors, read the same
books, lived the same life, and new languages, and work among new races;
while you, more fortunate, remain at home. Why should I change my mind
our mind-because I change my sky? Why should I and the few hundred
Englishmen in my service become unreasonable, prejudiced fossils, while
you and your newer friends alone remain bright and open-minded? You
surely don't fancy civilians are members of a Primrose League?"

"Of course not, but the mere position of an English official gives him
a point of view which cannot but bias his mind on this question." Pagett
moved his knee up and down a little uneasily as he spoke.

"That sounds plausible enough, but, like more plausible notions on
Indian matters, I believe it's a mistake. You'll find when you come to
consult the unofficial Briton that our fault, as a class--I speak of the
civilian now-is rather to magnify the progress that has been made toward
liberal institutions. It is of English origin, such as it is, and the
stress of our work since the Mutiny--only thirty years ago--has been in
that direction. No, I think you will get no fairer or more dispassionate
view of the Congress business than such men as I can give you. But I may
as well say at once that those who know most of India, from the inside,
are inclined to wonder at the noise our scarcely begun experiment makes
in England."

"But surely the gathering together of Congress delegates is of itself a
new thing."

"There's nothing new under the sun When Europe was a jungle half Asia
flocked to the canonical co