jealous little toss. 'He must be an interesting man to take up so
much of your attention.'

'Interesting!' said Stephen, his face glowing with his fervour;
'noble, you ought to say.'

'Oh yes, yes; I forgot,' she said half satirically. 'The noblest
man in England, as you told us last night.'

'He is a fine fellow, laugh as you will, Miss Elfie.'

'I know he is your hero. But what does he do? anything?'

'He writes.'

'What does he write? I have never heard of his name.'

'Because his personality, and that of several others like him, is
absorbed into a huge WE, namely, the impalpable entity called the
PRESENT--a social and literary Review.'

'Is he only a reviewer?'

'ONLY, Elfie! Why, I can tell you it is a fine thing to be on the
staff of the PRESENT. Finer than being a novelist considerably.'

'That's a hit at me, and my poor COURT OF KELLYON CASTLE.'

'No, Elfride,' he whispered; 'I didn't mean that. I mean that he
is really a literary man of some eminence, and not altogether a