Bates, whose
name was a nightmare to every other dry-goods man in
Toronto, naturally had to see a good many of the wholesale
people; he, too, complained of the number of courses and
the variety of the wines, but only to disguise his
gratification. McGill, of the Great Bear Line, had big
proposals to make in connection with southern railway
freights from Liverpool; and Cameron, for private reasons
of magnitude, proposed to ascertain the real probability
of a duty to foreigners on certain forms of manufactured
leather--he turned out in Toronto a very good class of
suitcase. Cruickshank had private connections to which
they were all respectful. Nobody but Cruickshank found
it expedient to look up the lost leader of the Canadian
House of Commons, contributed to a cause still more
completely lost in home politics; nobody but Cruickshank
was likely to be asked to dine by a former Governor-General
of the Dominion, an invitation which nobody but Cruickshank
would be likely to refuse.
"It used to be a 'command' in Ottawa," said Cruickshank,
who had got on badly with his sovereign's representative
there, "but here it's only a privilege. There's no business
in it, and I haven't time for pleasure."
The nobleman in question had, in effect, dropped back
into the Lords. So far as the Empire was concerned, he
was in the impressive rearguard, and this was a little
company of fighting men.
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