Nothing could have been more serious in public than his
line of defence against the danger that menaced, but in
friendly ears Mr Winter derided it as a practical
possibility, like the Liberals, Young and Windle.
"It seems to me," he said, talking to Octavius Milburn,
"that the important thing at present is the party attitude
to the disposition of Crown lands and to Government-made
railways. As for this racket of Wallingham's, it has
about as much in it as an empty bun-bag. He's running
round taking a lot of satisfaction blowing it out just
now, and the swells over there are clapping like anything,
but the first knock will show that it's just a bun-bag,
with a hole in it."
"Folks in the old country are solid on the buns, though,"
said Milburn as they parted, and Alfred Hesketh, who was
walking with his host, said--"It's bound in the end to
get down to that, isn't it?"
Presently Hesketh came back to it.
"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.
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