"Who? The six million people who live there. No, I will except you. I do not find you are poisonous here, at least." "Thank you. But what have you done with yourself these three days?" "Ah, that is the secret of the country! In town one has to do things one's self; the country does them all for you. You sit and you walk; you pick long feathery pieces of grass, and chew them like a cow; you think very intently for long periods, and at the end find that you have been thinking about nothing whatever. There is nothing so restful; and I have been wanting rest. I was a good deal worried about a certain matter before I left town." He looked at her. "I will subscribe to any institution that will guarantee you freedom from worry," he said. "That is very kind of you, but the only way your institution could be of use would be by giving me a painless death; and I do not wish to die at all. No, you must spend your money some other way. Talking of that, have you made up your mind to stand for Parliament? It looks as if I accused you prospectively of bribery and corruption. I do not mean to." "I wanted to talk to you about that. That was--one of the reasons why I came down to-day. I have been asked to stand for East Surrey, but by the Liberals." She stopped suddenly. "By the Liberals?" she said. "That will come as a great surprise to your friends, will it not?" "Possibly. Of course, rich people are as a rule Conservative; in fact, it seems sufficient for a man that he should acquire a large fortune to make a Conservative of him. Personally I detest party politics, though no doubt they are a necessity. For myself, I only recognise one party just now, whose sole object is efficiency, not effectiveness." She resumed walking again, with a quicker pace. "Have you told Jack?" she asked. "Yes. He approves warmly. He added, however, that he couldn't do anything for me, that he was bound to do all he could against me, in fact, during the election. That must be so. He is the land-owner here and a Conservative, and he does not see sufficient reason for ratting. There is nowhere to rat to, he says." "I know Jack's view. He thinks both parties are in a hopeless state, but, belonging to one, he has no reason to join the other. Dear me, Jim, this is news! You have a subject in South Africa; so if the Conservatives get in, you will, I suppose, be among those who make it warm for them." "I have no intention of taking politics up as a recreation," he said; "it is to be my profession, you understand." He paused a moment. "That is, given I get in." Instantly her woman's pride in the man awoke. "Of course you will get in!" she said; and not till she had said it did she know what she said, for no sense of his political fitness had prompted it, only her love for him. They walked on a little way in silence, past the end of the riband bed, and into the rose-garden beyond.