The Englishman proper is inexpressive, unexpressed.
Further, he must be judged by the evidences of his wealth. England may
be the richest country in the world per head of population, but not 5
per cent. of that population have any wealth to speak of, certainly not
enough to have affected their hardihood, and, with inconsiderable
exceptions, those who have enough are brought up to worship hardihood.
For the vast proportion of young Englishmen active military service is
merely a change from work as hard, and more monotonous.
From these main premises, then, we come to what the Englishman really
is.
When, after months of travel, one returns to England one can taste,
smell, feel the difference in the atmosphere, physical and moral--the
curious, damp, blunt, good-humored, happy-go-lucky, old-established,
slow-seeming formlessness of everything. You hail a porter, you tell him
you have plenty of time; he muddles your things amiably, with an air of
"It'll be all right," till you have only just time. But suppose you tell
him you have no time; he will set himself to catch that train for you,
and he will catch it faster than a porter of any other country.
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