y stand aloof!"

"Meinheer van Hert," said she, coming down from her table and taking a
step forward to confront him, "for any man with your political views
to talk about including Rhodesia in the Union solely for the sake of a
United South Africa and for her own good, is the veriest cant. There's
gold up there, and perhaps tin; and there's land for farming, and land
for ranching, and hunting grounds, and a big river. In your United
South Africa you want your people to be 'top dog' always, and as long
as Rhodesia stands out there's a menace in the north. That's one
reason why you want her! Rumour tells us there's a fine race of men up
there, who don't mean to have any tongue but Cecil Rhodes's tongue
taught in Cecil Rhodes's country, so it certainly is no place for you!
You've got to learn more thoroughly what an Englishman means by
'cricket' before your overtures will be considered; and we're all
hoping you'll learn it quickly, because we want to be friends, good
friends, just as soon as ever we can."

He bit his lip and looked angry, but she was already laughing the
moment's tension aside. "You didn't know I was a politician, did
you?... As a matter of fact, I'm not!... I'm sick of the whole bag of
tricks, and the Empire that fills Meryl with heaves and swells isn't
half so much to me as winning a tennis tournament or a golf
championship. But when you Hollanders are bursting with pride of place
and achievement, and offering energy and brains to help Britishers
along, I just feel as if you'd got to be told a few home-truths for
your good. Now I'm going to liven the meeting with a little operatic
music," and she tripped indoors to the piano. Van Hert shrugged his
shoulders expressively, and then stood silently beside Meryl for some
moments looking into the night. And as he stood he became conscious of
a vague sort of dissatisfaction with himself. It was a sensation he
knew only at rare moments, and those moments were chiefly at the Pyms'
house. He admired the two cousins more than any women he knew; he
admired Henry Pym; he loved the homyness of their household; and he
had to remember that they were English. There must, of course, be many
others like them. Were there many like them among his own countrymen?
When Diana told him his people had yet to learn more thoroughly what
was meant by "cricket" she had hit him hard. He would never have
admitted it for one moment, but, nevertheless, when he was at the
Pyms' house he