, that was not ready to
receive him, walked to the window and climbed out into the darkness.

* * * * *

(Henry Challis is the only man who could ever have given any account of
that extraordinary analysis of life, and he made no effort to recall the
fundamental basis of the argument, and so allowed his memory of the
essential part to fade. Moreover, he had a marked disinclination to
speak of that afternoon or of anything that was said by Victor Stott
during those six momentous hours of expression. It is evident that
Challis's attitude to Victor Stott was not unlike the attitude of
Captain Wallis to Victor Stott's father on the occasion of
Hampdenshire's historic match with Surrey. "This man will have to be
barred," Wallis said. "It means the end of cricket." Challis, in effect,
thought that if Victor Stott were encouraged, it would mean the end of
research, philosophy, all the mystery, idealism, and joy of life. Once,
and once only, did Challis give me any idea of what he had learned
during that afternoon's colloquy, and the substance of what Challis then
told me will be found at the end of this volume.)

CHAPTER X

HIS PASTORS AND MASTERS

I

For many months after that long afternoon in the library, Challis was
affected with a fever of restlessness, and his work on the book stood
still. He was in Rome during May, and in June he was seized by a sudden
whim and went to China by the Trans-Siberian railway. Lewes did not
accompany him. Challis preferred, one imagines, to have no intercourse
with Lewes while the memory of certain pronouncements was still fresh.
He might have been tempted to discuss that interview, and if, as was
practically certain, Lewes attempted to pour contempt on the whole
affair, Challis might have been drawn into a defence which would have
revived many memories he wished to obliterate.

He came back to London in September--he made the return journey by
steamer--and found his secretary still working at the monograph on the
primitive peoples of Melanesia.

Lewes had spent the whole summer in Challis's town house in Eaton
Square, whither all the material had been removed two days after that
momentous afternoon in the library of Challis Court.

"I have been wanting your help badly for some time, sir," Lewes said on
the evening of Challis's return. "Are you proposing to take up the work
again? If not ..." Gregory Lewes thought he was wasting valuable time.