Our Friend the Charlatan

alf-a-dozen newspapers, and read all the leading articles and the political news with close attention. As a rule, this kind of study had little attraction for him; he was anythin

king in several essentials of the scientific mind; he had neither patience to collect and observe facts, nor conscientiousness in reasoning upon them; prejudice directed his every thought, and egoism pervaded all his conclusions. Excelling in speciousness, it was natural that he should think success as a politician within his easy reach; possessed by a plausible theory of government, he r

y intelligent Scotchman, conscientiously showed him everything that was to be seen, and Dyce affected great interest. Real interest he felt little or none; the processes of manufacture belonged to a world to which he had never given the slightest though

gram," he remarked, in a voice which struck

replied the manager. "And t

ake an active inte

ncommon sort of young lady and, I sh

that one or other of their sex might view and criticise him with level eyes. Six years ago Connie Bride had looked up to him; he, with his University culture, held undoubted superiority over the country girl striving hard to educate herself and to find a place in the world. But much had changed since then, and Dyce was beginning to feel that it would not do to reckon on any dulness, or wilful blindness, in Constance with regard to h

e one o'clock; so, instead of directing his steps towards the lodge; he struck off into a by-road, where the new-opened leafage of the hawthorn glistened after the morning

, as she drew near. "Have you seen the mill

g in Dyce a sense of havin

he reached the house, Constance was walking a

cycle?"

ver felt

ve. Shall we stay in the gard

nimation. For a few minutes they talked of the mill, and Dyce repeated the manager's remark abou

ou known Lady Og

once a friend of hers-long ago, wh

views, and straight way selected Mr. Bride from all the Hollingford clergy as the sole representative of Anglicanism. She spoke of him as "the coming man," prophesied for him a brilliant career, and began to exert herself on his behalf. Doubtless she would have obtained substantial promotion for the curate of St. John's, had not her own vehemence and Mr. Bride's difficult character brought about a painful misunderstanding between them. The curate was not what is known as a gentleman by birth; he had the misfortune to count among his near kinsfolk not only very poor, but decidedly ungenteel, persons. His only sister had married an uneducated man, who, being converted to some nondescript religion, went preaching about the country, and unluckily, in the course of his apostolate, appeared at Hollingford. Here he had some success; crowds attended his open-air sermons. It soon became known that the preacher's wife, who was always at his side, was a sister of M

told me that Lady Ogram had spoken of me, and wished to see me. 'Very well,' said I, 'than let Lady Ogram invite me to come and see her.'-'If I were you,' said the doctor, 'I think I shouldn't wait for that.'-

ened with

d invite yo

we'll call it blunt good-nature. 'What are you going to do?' she asked. 'Mix medicines all your life?' I told her that I should like to pass my exams, and practise, instead of mixing medicines. That seemed to surprise her, and she pooh'd the idea. 'I shan't help you to that,' she said. 'I never asked you, Lady Ogram!'-It was a toss up whether she would turn me out of the house or admire my courage: she is capable of one or the other. Her next question was,

have heard of your

ou know of the shocking revelati

me nothin

nce re

hufflebotham keeps a little shop, and sells

tance or her belongings. But the revelation surprised and rather disgusted him

he answered, with his indulgent smile, "if

good deal of pride, and, when I began to think about myself-it was only a few years ago-I found it necessary to ask what I really had to be proud of. There was nothing very obvious-no wealth, no rank, no ac

man talking thus, but the actual effect upon him was repellent. He did not care to look at the speaker, and it

wandered to the rear of the house, and thus did not

cheon. When he came out again into the hall, he found Lady Ogram standing there, reading a letter. Seen from behind, her masses of elaborately dressed hair gave her the appearance of a y

greeting, as she gave her hand

y satisfactio

pecting a gentleman to lunch whom you'll like to meet-Mr. Bre

ll door, and there entered a sli

ss. "Why must I have the trouble of inviting you to Rivenoak? Is m

"It's work, work, I assure you, that forbids me the honour and the delight of wai

thing to eat. I'm as hungry as a hunter, whatever you may be. You se

ty appearance, he lacked freshness, seemed to call for the bath his collar fitted badly, his tie was askew, his cuffs covered too much of the hand. Aged about fifty, Mr. Breakspeare looked

peare ate with keen gusto, and talked very little until he had satisfied his hunger. Whether by oversight, or intentional eccentricity, the hostess had not introduced him and Lashmar to each other; they exchanged casual glances, but no remark. Dyce talked of what he

althy sports. At the same time there has been considerable aesthetic progress. England is no longer the stupidly inartistic country of early Victorian times; there's a true delight in music and painting, and a much more general appreciation of the good in literature. With all this we have been so busy that politics have fallen into the background-politics in the proper sense of the word. Ideas of national advance have been either utterly lost sigh

man with interest. "It's what I've been preaching, in season and

," remarked the host

into utter dulness. What do we see now?" He raised his hand and grew rhetorical. "The crassest Toryism sweeping all before it, and everywhere depositing its mud-which chokes and does not fertilise. We have athletic club

ough member, Lady Ogra

. "Tell me something about Robb

become to me an abstraction rather than a human being-an embodiment of all the vicious routine, the foul obscurantism, the stupid prejudice, which an enlightened Liberalism has to struggle against. There he sits, a satire on our parliamentary system.

tify their hostess. Was Mr. Breakspeare inwardly laughing at himself and the compa

d. "And how much longer will Hollingfor

my life. For that I toil; for that I sacrifice leisure and tranquillity and most of the things dear to a man philosophic

ar's smile? Constance was watching him with unnaturally

id Lady Ogram, "that

o die of the exhaustion of going into the lobby, and remain for ever a symbol of thick-headed patriotism. But we will floor him in his native m

our was not very keen, and the present sub

right man," she exclaimed

re enthusiasm; the man, in short, who has something to say, and knows how to say it. In spite of the discouraging aspect of things, I be

savoured a slice of pine-apple. At Breaksp

s has moved, at the impulse

editor, as though he meant to guard himself against t

People how to select its Rulers. For my own part, I have rather more hope of a constituency such as Hollingford, than of one actively democratic. The fatal thing is for an electorate to be bent on choosing the man as nea

ady Ogram, smi

hat," said the hostess, with a nod,

d the editor. "It is the aristocra

Breakspeare is well aware-teaches, not levelling, but hierarchy. The principle has always bee

betrayed a lit

ime to give to natural science. When we have floored Robb, I fu

ed a gracious

call bio-sociology. Not only must we, the leaders, have thoroughly grasped this science, but we must find a way of teaching it to the least

rehensive theories are all very well, but Mr. Break

night; she was patient as laborious, and had never repined under her lot. But her education was elementary; she knew nothing of political theories, nothing of science or literature, and, as he looked at Constance Bride, Breakspeare asked himself what he mig

is pessimism, a result and a cause of the materialistic spirit. Science, which really involves an infinite hope, has been misinterpreted by Socialists in the most foolish w

listening, has tossed off a glass of wine. (The pink of his cheeks was deepen

Talk away!" And the orator, to whose memory happily occurred

ong animals, dethroning him from a fantastic dignity, but at the same time honouring him as the crown of nature's system, the latest product of aeons of evolution. These conquests of science have put modern man into an entirely new position, have radically changed his conception of the world and of himself. Religion, philosophy, morals, politics, all are revolutionised by this accession of know

so vastly more eloquent was he than the author to whom he owed his ideas. Conscience did n

to the select of every rank; a process of perpetual renewal will maintain the health of the political organism. The true polity is only in slow formation; for, obviously, human reason is not yet a complete development. As yet, men come to the front by accident; some day they will be advanced to power by an inevitable and impeccable process of natural select

w him," said

remely retired life. But I am sure you wou

mpany into her verdurous drawing-room. She was beginning to show signs of fatigue; seated in her throne-like chair, she let her head lie back, and was silent. Constance Bride, ever tactful, began to take a more prominent p

ou coming b

Lady Ogram. The pleasu

terrup

ome down in

, and g

r room will be ready for you here. Just w

reakspeare had ordered. For the first minutes they hardly talked; they avoided each other's look, and exchan

shmar. May I, without indiscretion, take it for granted

d Dyce, in a corresponding tone.

um-for me, I assure you, a high intellectual treat. But, speaking to you as to one who does not know Hollingford, I w

e into ga

lessons come before theory. If I stand for Hollingford-" he rolled the words, and savoured them-"I shall do so as a very practical politician indeed. My philosophical cre

nd they talked on about the practical asp

s, read for half an hour, or let her thoughts wander. At length overcoming her drowsin

ters to write to-morrow mo

etters?" ask

you know anything a

ing a

as soon as possible.-What

d by the unexpected question. "I believe his father is very wel

dent-or at all events not p

kles about her eyes, eloquent as wrinkles always are,

u favourably?" Constance

moment, then, speaking thickly in he

m. Beyond a doubt, h