in it."

"Folks in the old country are solid on the buns, though," said Milburn
as they parted, and Alfred Hesketh, who was walking with his host,
said--"It's bound in the end to get down to that, isn't it?"

Presently Hesketh came back to it.

"Quaint idea, that--describing Wallingham's policy as a bun-bag," he
said, and laughed. "Winter is an amusing fellow."

"Wallingham's policy won't even be a bun-bag much longer," said Milburn.
"It won't be anything at all. Imperial union is very nice to talk about,
but when you come down to hard fact it's Australia for the Australians,
Canada for the Canadians, Africa for the Africans, every time."

"Each for himself, and devil take the hindmost," said Hesketh; "and when
the hindmost is England, as our friend Murchison declares it will be--"

"So much the worse for England," said Milburn, amiably. "But we should
all be sorry to see it and, for my part, I don't believe such a thing
is at all likely. And you may be certain of one thing," he continued,
impressively: "No flag but the Union Jack will ever wave over Canada."

"Oh, I'm sure of that!" Hesketh responded. "Since I have heard more of
your side of the question I am quite convinced that loyalty to England
and complete commercial independence--I might say even commercial
antagonism--may exist together in the colonies. It seems paradoxical,
but it is true."

Mr Hesketh had naturally been hearing a good deal more of Mr Milburn's
side of the question, staying as he was under Mr Milburn's hospitable
roof. It had taken the least persuasion in the world to induce him to
make the Milburns a visit. He found them delightful people. He described
them in his letters home as the most typically Canadian family he had
met, quite simple and unconventional, but thoroughly warm-hearted, and
touchingly devoted to far-away England. Politically he could not see eye
to eye with Mr Milburn, but he could quite perceive Mr Milburn's grounds
for the view he held. One thing, he explained to his correspondents, you
learned at once by visiting the colonies, and that was to make allowance
for local conditions, both social and economic.

He and Mr Milburn had long serious discussions, staying behind in the
dining-room to have them after tea, when the ladies took their fancy
work into the drawing-room, and Dora's light touch was heard upon the
piano. It may be supposed that Hesketh brought every argument forward
in favour of the great departure th