her's
house. And there's James Harvey Robinson and Professor Hutton Webster.
They've been trying to restore our memory."

"I've never heard of any of them," said Sir Richmond.

"You hear so little of America over here. It's quite a large country and
all sorts of interesting things happen there nowadays. And we are waking
up to history. Quite fast. We shan't always be the most ignorant people
in the world. We are beginning to realize that quite a lot of things
happened between Adam and the Mayflower that we ought to be told about.
I allow it's a recent revival. The United States has been like one of
those men you read about in the papers who go away from home and turn up
in some distant place with their memories gone. They've forgotten what
their names were or where they lived or what they did for a living;
they've forgotten everything that matters. Often they have to begin
again and settle down for a long time before their memories come back.
That's how it has been with us. Our memory is just coming back to us."

"And what do you find you are?"

"Europeans. Who came away from kings and churches-@-and Corinthian
capitals."

"You feel all this country belongs to you?"

"As much as it does to you." Sir Richmond smiled radiantly at her. "But
if I say that America belongs to me as much as it does to you?"

"We are one people," she said.

"We?"

"Europe. These parts of Europe anyhow. And ourselves."

"You are the most civilized person I've met for weeks and weeks."

"Well, you are the first civilized person I've met in Europe for a long
time. If I understand you."

"There are multitudes of reasonable, civilized people in Europe."

"I've heard or seen very little of them.

"They're scattered, I admit."

"And hard to find."

"So ours is a lucky meeting. I've wanted a serious talk to an American
for some time. I want to know very badly what you think you are up to
with the world,--our world."

"I'm equally anxious to know what England thinks she is doing. Her
ways recently have been a little difficult to understand. On any
hypothesis--that is honourable to her."

"H'm," said Sir Richmond.

"I assure you we don't like it. This Irish business. We feel a sort of
ownership in England. It's like finding your dearest aunt torturing the
cat."

"We must talk of that," said Sir Richmond.

"I wish you would."

"It is a cat and a dog--and they have been very naughty animals. And
poor Aunt Britannia almost deli