They all had in the blood the remembrance
of what Lorne had seen.
"Well, you've been doing big business," said Horace
Williams.
Lorne shook his head. "We haven't done any harm," he
said, "but our scheme's away out of sight now. At least
it ought to be."
"Lost in the bigger issue." said Williams, and Lorne
nodded.
The bigger issue had indeed in the meantime obscured the
political horizon, and was widely spreading. A mere
colonial project might well disappear in it. England was
absorbed in a single contemplation. Wallingham, though
he still supported the disabilities of a right honourable
evangelist with a gospel of his own, was making astonishing
conversions; the edifice of the national economic creed
seemed coming over at the top. It was a question of the
resistance of the base, and the world was watching.
"Cruickshank says if the main question had been sprung
a month ago we wouldn't have gone over. As it is, on
several points we've got to wait. If they reject the
preferential trade idea over there we shall have done a
little good, for any government would be disposed to try
to patch up something to take the place of imperial union
in that case; and a few thousands more for shipping
subsidies and cheap cablegrams would have a great look
of strengthening the ties with the colonies.
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