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290
Zuleika Dobson; Or, An Oxford Love Story
·
Sir Max Beerbohm
112
“We
are
all
of
us,”
he
said,
“old
enough
to
remember
vividly
the
demonstrations
made
in
the
streets
of
London
when
war
was
declared
between
us
and
the
Transvaal
Republic.
You,
Mr.
Oover,
doubtless
heard
in
America
the
echoes
of
those
ebullitions.
The
general
idea
was
that
the
war
was
going
to
be
a
very
brief
and
simple
affair--what
was
called
‘a
walk-over.’
To
me,
though
I
was
only
a
small
boy,
it
seemed
that
all
this
delirious
pride
in
the
prospect
of
crushing
a
trumpery
foe
argued
a
defect
in
our
sense
of
proportion.
Still,
I
was
able
to
understand
the
demonstrators’
point
of
view.
To
‘the
giddy
vulgar’
any
sort
of
victory
is
pleasant.
But
defeat?
If,
when
that
war
was
declared,
every
one
had
been
sure
that
not
only
should
we
fail
to
conquer
the
Transvaal,
but
that
IT
would
conquer
US--that
not
only
would
it
make
good
its
freedom
and
independence,
but
that
we
should
forfeit
ours--how
would
the
cits
have
felt
then?
Would
they
not
have
pulled
long
faces,
spoken
in
whispers,
wept?
You
must
forgive
me
for
saying
that
the
noise
you
have
just
made
around
this
table
was
very
like
to
the
noise
made
on
the
verge
of
the
Boer
War.
And
your
procedure
seems
to
me
as
unaccountable
as
would
have
seemed
the
antics
of
those
mobs
if
England
had
been
plainly
doomed
to
disaster
and
to
vassalage.
My
guest
here
to-night,
in
the
course
of
his
very
eloquent
and
racy
speech,
spoke
of
the
need
that
he
and
you
should
preserve
your
‘free
and
independent
manhood.’
That
seemed
to
me
an
irreproachable
ideal.
But
I
confess
I
was
somewhat
taken
aback
by
my
friend’s
scheme
for
realising
it.
He
declared
his
intention
of
lying
prone
and
letting
Miss
Dobson
‘walk
over’
him;
and
he
advised
you
to
follow
his
example;
and
to
this
counsel
you
gave
evident
approval.
Gentlemen,
suppose
that
on
the
verge
of
the
aforesaid
war,
some
orator
had
said
to
the
British
people
‘It
is
going
to
be
a
walk-over
for
our
enemy
in
the
field.
Mr.
Kruger
holds
us
in
the
hollow
of
his
hand.
In
subjection
to
him
we
shall
find
our
long-lost
freedom
and
independence’--what
would
have
been
Britannia’s
answer?
What,
on
reflection,
is
yours
to
Mr.
Oover?
What
are
Mr.
Oover’s
own
second
thoughts?”
The
Duke
paused,
with
a
smile
to
his
guest.
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