The gentleman addressed waved a deprecating hand.

"He has had no popular recognition. Such merits as he has are too aloof
to touch the great popular heart. But we who believe in the people and
work for them have found him a bitter enemy. The idle, academic,
superior person, whatever his gifts, is a serious hindrance to honest
work," said the popular idol.

"I shouldn't call him idle or superior," said Lewis quietly. "I have
seen hard workers, but I have never seen anything like Tommy. He is a
perfect mill-horse, wasting his fine talent on a dreary routine, merely
because he is conscientious and nobody can do it so well."

He always respected honesty, so he forbore to be irritated with this
assured speaker.

But Alice interfered to prevent jarring.

"I read your book, Mr. Haystoun. What a time you must have had! You
say that north of Bardur or some place like that there are two hundred
miles of utterly unknown land till you come to Russian territory. I
should have thought that land important. Why doesn't some one penetrate
it?

"Well, for various causes. It is very high land and the climate is not
mild. Also, there are abundant savage tribes with a particularly
effective crooked kind of knife. And, finally, our Government
discourages British enterprise there, and Russia would do the same as
soon as she found out."