out of ore -- I don't know anything about it. In the early days of
mining, he says, no end of valuable stuff was abandoned, because they
couldn't smelt it. Something about pyrites -- I have a vague
recollection of old chemistry lessons. Dando wants to start smelting
works for his new process, somewhere in North Queensland.'

'And wants money, I dare say,' remarked the listener, with a twinkle of
the eye.

'I suppose so. It was Carton that brought him here for the first time, a
week ago. _Might_ be worth thinking about, you know.'

'I have no opinion. My profound ignorance of everything keeps me in a
state of perpetual scepticism. It has its advantages, I dare say.'

'You're very conservative, Rolfe, in your finance.'

'Very.'

'Quite right, no doubt. Could you join us at Nice or some such place?'

'Why, I rather thought of sticking to my books. But if the fogs are very
bad --'

'And you would seriously advise us to give up the house?'

'My dear fellow, how can you hesitate? Your wife is quite right; there's
not one good word to be said for the ordinary life of an English
household. Flee from it! Live anywhere and anyhow, but don't keep house
in England. Wherever I go, it's the same cry: domestic life is played