His eyes
glared; he snorted defiance, turning from his companion to the two
strangers whom he saw seated before him.
"I say that it's our duty to force our trade upon China. It's for
China's good--can you deny that? A huge country packed with
wretched barbarians! Our trade civilises them--can you deny it?
It's our duty, as the leading Power of the world! Hundreds of
millions of poor miserable barbarians. And"--he shouted--"what
else are the Russians, if you come to that? Can _they_ civilise
China? A filthy, ignorant nation, frozen into stupidity, and
downtrodden by an Autocrat!"
"Well," murmured the diffident objector, "I'm no friend of tyranny;
I can't say much for Russia----"
"I should think you couldn't. Who can? A country plunged in the
darkness of the Middle Ages! The country of the _knout_! Pah! Who
_can_ say anything for Russia?"
Vociferating thus, the champion of civilisation fixed his glare upon
Otway, who, having laid down the paper, answered this look of
challenge with a smile.
"As you seem to appeal to me," sounded in Piers' voice, which was
steady and good-humoured, "I'm bound to say that Russia isn't
altogether without good points. You spoke of it, by the bye, as the
country of the knout; but the knout, as a matter of fact, was
abolished long ago."
"Well, well--yes; yes--one knows all about that," stammered the
loud man. "But the country is still ruled in the _spirit_ of the
knout.
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