eem to
have any way of seeing THROUGH it. What they just love is a good round
catchword; they've only got to hear themselves say it often enough, and
they'll take it for gospel. They're convinced out of their own mouths.
There was the driver of a bus I used to ride on pretty often, and if he
felt like talking, he'd always begin, 'As I was a-saying of yesterday--'
Well, that's the general idea--to repeat what they were a-sayin' of
yesterday; and it doesn't matter two cents that the rest of the world
has changed the subject. They've been a-sayin' a long time that they
object to import duties of any sort or kind, and you won't get them to
SEE the business in changing. If they do this it won't be because they
want to, it will be because Wallingham wants them to."

"I guess that's so," said Williams. "And if Wallingham gets them to he
ought to have a statue in every capital in the Empire. He will, too.
Good cigar this, Lorne! Where'd you get it?"

"They are Indian cheroots--'Planters,' they call 'em--made in Madras.
I got some through a man named Hesketh, who has friends out there, at a
price you wouldn't believe for as decent a smoke. You can't buy 'em in
London; but you will all right, and here, too, as soon as we've got the
sense to favour British-grown tobacco."

"Lorne appreciates his family better than he did before," remarked his
youngest sister, "because we're British grown."

"You were saying you noticed two things specially in the way?" said his
father.

"Oh, the other's of course the awful poverty--the twelve millions that
haven't got enough to do with. I expect it's an outside figure and it
covers all sorts of qualifying circumstances; but it's the one the Free
Fooders quote, and it's the one Wallingham will have to handle. They've
muddled along until they've GOT twelve million people in that condition,
and now they have to carry on with the handicap. We ask them to put a
tax on foreign food to develop our wheat areas and cattle ranges.
We say, 'Give us a chance and we'll feed you and take your surplus
population.' What is to be done with the twelve million while we are
growing the wheat? The colonies offer to create prosperity for everybody
concerned at a certain outlay--we've got the raw materials--and they
can't afford the investment because of the twelve millions, and what may
happen meanwhile. They can't face the meanwhile--that's what it comes
to."

"Fine old crop of catchwords in that situation," Mr