"Why, a great deal of honour to the army and the nation at large."
"Honour again! But granting that the army gained it, which they certainly did, for one I do not feel very proud of the nation's share."
"Why, they are one," said Charlton, impatiently.
"In an unjust war?"
"It was not an unjust war."
"That's what you call a knock-downer," said Fleda, laughing. "But I confess myself so simple as to have agreed with Seth Plumfield, when I heard him and Lucas disputing about it last winter, that it was a shame to a great and strong nation like ours to display its might in crushing a weak one."
"But they drew it upon themselves. They began hostilities."
"There is a diversity of opinion about that."
"Not in heads that have two grains of information."
"I beg your pardon. Mrs. Evelyn and Judge Sensible were talking over that very question the other day at Montepoole; and he made it quite clear to my mind that we were the aggressors."