"Meaning 'good form' and that sort of thing?" Von Bork sighed as
one who had suffered much.

"Meaning British prejudice in all its queer manifestations. As
an example I may quote one of my own worst blunders--I can afford
to talk of my blunders, for you know my work well enough to be
aware of my successes. It was on my first arrival. I was
invited to a week-end gathering at the country house of a cabinet
minister. The conversation was amazingly indiscreet."

Von Bork nodded. "I've been there," said he dryly.

"Exactly. Well, I naturally sent a resume of the information to
Berlin. Unfortunately our good chancellor is a little heavy-
handed in these matters, and he transmitted a remark which showed
that he was aware of what had been said. This, of course, took
the trail straight up to me. You've no idea the harm that it did
me. There was nothing soft about our British hosts on that
occasion, I can assure you. I was two years living it down. Now
you, with this sporting pose of yours--"

"No, no, don't call it a pose. A pose is an artificial thing.
This is quite natural. I am a born sportsman. I enjoy it."

"Well, that makes it the more effective. You yacht against them,
you hunt with them, you play polo, you match them in every game,
your four-in-hand takes the prize at Olympia. I have even heard
that you go the length of boxing with the young officers. What
is the result? Nobody takes you seriously. You are a 'good old
sport' 'quite a decent fellow for a German,' a hard-drinking,