第21部分(第5/7 頁)

desperate　occasions；　as　I　have　noted　more　than　once　in　life；　the　stunned　intelligence　takes　refuge　in　little　things。　Everything　else　is　beaten　flat；　like　the　sea　beneath　a　tornado；　leaving　only　such　bubbles　floating　in　the　unnatural　calm。

Not　very　long　after　this　terrible　event　Sir　Theophilus　Shepstone　was　summoned　home　to　confer　with　the　Colonial　Office　respecting　the　affairs　of　the　Transvaal；　and　well　do　I　remember　the　sorrow　with　which　we　parted　from　him。　I　remember　also　that　before　this　time；　when　all　was　going　well；　in　the　course　of　one　of　those　intimate　conversations　to　which　he　admitted　me　I　congratulated　him　upon　what　then　appeared　to　be　his　great　success；　and　said　that　he　seemed　to　have　everything　before　him。

“No；　my　boy；”　he　answered；　shaking　his　head　sadly；　“it　has　e　to　me　too　late　in　life；”　and　he　turned　away　with　a　sigh。

As　a　matter　of　fact　his　success　proved　to　be　none　at　all；　for　he　lived　to　see　all　his　work　undone　within　a　year　or　two　and　to　find　himself　thrown　an　offering　to　the　Moloch　of　our　party　system；　as　did　his　contemporary；　Sir　Bartle　Frere。　And　yet　after　all　was　it　so？　He　did　what　was　right；　and　he　did　it　well。　The　exigencies　of　our　home　politics；　stirred　into　action　by　the　rebellion　of　the　Boers；　appeared　to　wreck　his　policy。　At　the　cost　of　I　know　not　how　many　English　lives　and　of　how　much　treasure；　that　policy　was　reversed：　the　country　was　given　back。　What　ensued？　A　long　period　of　turmoil　and　difficulties；　and　then　a　war　which　cost　us　twenty　thousand　more　lives　and　two　hundred　and　fifty　millions　more　of　treasure　to　bring　about　what　was　in　practice　the　same　state　of　affairs　that　Sir　Theophilus　Shepstone　had　established　over　twenty　years　before　without　the　firing　of　a　single　shot。　A　little　more　wisdom；　a　little　more　firmness