“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 that 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?”