enever he passed some tempting butt for
the sword-play of his stick.

"Do you think, then," said Challis at last, "that much of the
atmosphere--you must have marked the atmosphere--of the child's
personality, was a creation of our own minds, due to our
preconceptions?"

"Yes, I think so," Lewes replied, a touch of defiance in his tone.

"Isn't that what you _want_ to believe?" asked Challis.

Lewes hit at a flag of dead bracken and missed. "You mean...?" he
prevaricated.

"I mean that that is a much stronger influence than any preconception,
my dear Lewes. I'm no pragmatist, as you know; but there can be no doubt
that with the majority of us the wish to believe a thing is true
constitutes the truth of that thing for us. And that is, in my opinion,
the wrong attitude for either scientist or philosopher. Now, in the case
we are discussing, I suppose at bottom I should like to agree with you.
One does not like to feel that a child of four and a half has greater
intellectual powers than oneself. Candidly, I do not like it at all."

"Of course not! But I can't think that----"

"You can if you try; you would at once if you wished to," returned
Challis, anticipating the completion of Lewes's sentence.

"I'll admit that there are some remarkable facts in the case of this
child," said Lewes, "but I do not see why we should, as yet, take the
whole proposition for granted."

"No! I am with you there," returned Challis. And no more was said until
they were nearly home.

Just before they turned into the drive, however, Challis stopped. "Do
you know, Lewes," he said, "I am not sure that I am doing a wise thing
in bringing that child here!"

Lewes did not understand. "No, sir? Why not?" he asked.

"Why, think of the possibilities of that child, if he has all the powers
I credit him with," said Challis. "Think of his possibilities for
original thought if he is kept away from all the traditions of this
futile learning." He waved an arm in the direction of the elongated
chapel.

"Oh! but surely," remonstrated Lewes, "that is a necessary groundwork.
Knowledge is built up step by step."

"Is it? I wonder. I sometimes doubt," said Challis. "Yes, I sometimes
doubt whether we have ever learned anything at all that is worth
knowing. And, perhaps, this child, if he were kept away from books....
However, the thing is done now, and in any case he would never have been
able to dodge the School attendance officer."

CHAPTE