English, in some respects."

"Well," said Foster, "that is really not my fault. I was born English,
but I'll admit that I've found it a drawback since I came to Canada."

Carmen indicated the chair next her. "You may sit down if you like. You
start for the Old Country on Thursday, don't you?"

"Thank you; yes," said Foster. "One likes to be in the fashion, and it's
quite the proper thing to make the trip when work's finished for the
winter. You find miners saving their wages to buy a ticket, and the
Manitoba men sail across by dozens after a good harvest. As they often
maintain that the Old Country's a back number, one wonders why they go."

"After all, I suppose they were born there."

"That doesn't seem to count. As a rule, there's nobody more Canadian
first of all than the man who's only a Canadian by adoption."

"Then why do you want to go?"

"I can't tell you. I had a hard life in England and, on the whole, was
glad to get away. Perhaps it's a homing instinct, like the pigeon's, and
perhaps it's sentiment. We came out because nobody wanted us and have
made ourselves pretty comfortable. America's our model and we have no
use for English patronage, but every now and then the pull comes and we
long to go back, though we wouldn't like to stop there. It's illogical,
but if there was trouble in Europe and the Old Country needed help, we'd
all go across."