Publisher's Synopsis
MORNING at Musuru came as a surprise to those who remembered the hot noontide of theprevious day. For the air was as bitter as an English winter, and, looking from the windows, they saw the valleys filled with cold mist and the lawns whitened with hoar-frost. Theresult was that all the women breakfasted in their rooms. And of the men, only Hugh, Astbury, and Mr Wakefield appeared in the dining-room, where a roaring wood-fire gavethe early risers a sense of comfort to temper their consciousness of virtue. Thatconsciousness, however, was rudely disturbed by the discovery that Graham and Considinehad breakfasted at least two hours before and had gone out heroically into the chillymorning.Mr Wakefield stood warming his back at the fire, in the attitude of a Master of Houndsbefore a hunt breakfast. He had arrayed himself in Harris tweeds, and his legs were clothedwith new buckskin gaiters. Hugh and Astbury, who knew something of the Musuru climate, had put on thinner shooting suits.The elder man helped himself to mealie-meal porridge and cream. "We had an interestingtalk last night, and I hope during our visit we may reach some valuable conclusions. But Iforesee trouble ahead unless we can keep Lord Appin away from Hegel and put a stop toCarey's infernal mysticism. In my opinion, also, there are too many women for a reallyhelpful discussion. We must, above all things, be practical. Now, I have here a kind ofsyllabus which Carey gave me last night-a list of the subjects we are to consider, and theorder we are to take them in. To-night we are to begin with contemporary English politicsand the present position of parties. Well, at any rate, that is relevant, if dull. Then we go onto the constitutional apparatus of Empire, the question of our tropical possessions, theeconomic and administrative problems. All these are very much to the point. But I notice atthe end the sinister announcement that the concluding days are to be spent in talking aboutthe ethical basis of Empire, and its relation to intellectual and aesthetic progress. Thatmeans, I fear, more of the unpromising mysticism of which we had a taste last night. Wemust keep Imperialism out of the clouds, or how on earth is it to commend itself tobusiness men? I speak from a wide knowledge of the Colonies, and I assure you that whatthey want is a business proposition. We have, of course, our own ideals, but they areframed in a different language from yours, and I need hardly tell you that a common ideal, held with a difference, has proved in the past the most potent of disruptive forces. Let everyman add his own poetry to the facts, but for Heaven's sake let us get the facts agreed uponfir
