at had been conceived in England; he
certainly succeeded in interesting his host very deeply in the English
point of view. He had, however, to encounter one that was made in
Canada--it resided in Mr Milburn as a stone might reside in a bag
of wool. Mr Milburn wouldn't say that this preference trade idea, if
practicable, might not work out for the benefit of the Empire as a
whole. That was a thing he didn't pretend to know. But it wouldn't
work out for his benefit that was a thing he did know. When a man was
confronted with a big political change the question he naturally asked
himself was, "Is it going to be worth my while?" and he acted on the
answer to that question. He was able to explain to Hesketh, by a variety
of facts and figures, of fascinating interest to the inquiring mind,
just how and where such a concern as the Milburn Boiler Company would be
"hit" by the new policy, after which he asked his guest fairly, "Now,
if you were in my shoes, would you see your way to voting for any such
thing?"

"If I were in your shoes," said Hesketh, thoughtfully, "I can't say I
would."

On grounds of sentiment, Octavius assured him, they were absolutely
at one, but in practical matters a man had to proceed on business
principles. He went about at this time expressing great esteem for
Hesketh's capacity to assimilate facts. His opportunity to assimilate
them was not curtailed by any further demand for his services in the
South Fox campaign. He was as willing as ever, he told Lorne Murchison,
to enlist under the flag, and not for the first time; but Murchison and
Farquharson, and that lot, while grateful for the offer, seemed never
quite able to avail themselves of it: the fact was all the dates were
pretty well taken up. No doubt, Hesketh acknowledged, the work could be
done best by men familiar with the local conditions, but he could not
avoid the conviction that this attitude toward proffered help was very
like dangerous trifling. Possibly these circumstances gave him an
added impartiality for Mr Milburn's facts. As the winter advanced his
enthusiasm for the country increased with his intelligent appreciation
of the possibilities of the Elgin boiler. The Elgin boiler was his
object-lesson in the development of the colonies; he paid, several
visits to the works to study it, and several times he thanked Mr Milburn
for the opportunity of familiarizing himself with such an important and
promising branch of Canadian industry.