His eyes glistened and the object of the gathering vanished for the moment from his thoughts.
"And in the second place," he resumed, "the losers should be accounted to have won the game." "Yes, that must be right," said Pettifer.

"Upon my word you are in form, Hazlewood." "But why ?" asked Mrs.Pettifer.
Harold Hazlewood smiled upon her as upon a child and explained: "Because by adopting that system you would do something to eradicate the spirit of rivalry, the desire to win, the ambition to beat somebody else which is at the bottom of half our national troubles." "And all our national success," said Pettifer.
Hazlewood patted his brother-in-law upon the shoulder.

He looked at him indulgently.

"You are a Tory, Robert," he said, and implied that argument with such an one was mere futility.
He had still his hand upon Pettifer's shoulder when the door opened.
Stella saw by the change in his face that it was Thresk who was entering.
But she did not move.
"Ah," said Mr.Hazlewood.

"Come over here and take a cup of tea." Thresk came forward to the table.