child towards a
severe schoolmaster.

'That is rather the object of honest critics in such a case. Not to
cause unnecessary sorrow, but: "To make you sorry after a proper manner,
that ye may receive damage by us in nothing," as a powerful pen once
wrote to the Gentiles. Are you going to write another romance?'

'Write another?' she said. 'That somebody may pen a condemnation and
"nail't wi' Scripture" again, as you do now, Mr. Knight?'

'You may do better next time,' he said placidly: 'I think you will. But
I would advise you to confine yourself to domestic scenes.'

'Thank you. But never again!'

'Well, you may be right. That a young woman has taken to writing is not
by any means the best thing to hear about her.'

'What is the best?'

'I prefer not to say.'

'Do you know? Then, do tell me, please.'

'Well'--(Knight was evidently changing his meaning)--'I suppose to hear
that she has married.'

Elfride hesitated. 'And what when she has been married?' she said at
last, partly in order to withdraw her own person from the argument.

'Then to hear no more about her. It is as Smeaton said of his
lighthouse: her greatest real praise, when the novelty of her
inauguration has worn off, is that nothing happens to keep the talk of
her alive.'

'Yes, I see,' said Elfride softly and thoughtfully. 'But of course it is
different quite with men. Why don't you write novels, Mr. Knight?'

'Because I couldn't write one that would interest anybody.'

'Why?'

'For several reasons. It requires a judicious omission of your real
thoughts to make a novel popular, for one thing.'

'Is that really necessary? Well, I am sure you could learn to do that
with practice,' said Elfride with an ex-cathedra air, as became a person
who spoke from experience in the art. 'You would make a great name for
certain,' she continued.

'So many people make a name nowadays, that it is more distinguished to
remain in obscurity.'

'Tell me seriously--apart from the subject--why don't you write a volume
instead of loose articles?' she insisted.

'Since you are pleased to make me talk of myself, I will tell you
seriously,' said Knight, not less amused at this catechism by his young
friend than he was interested in her appearance. 'As I have implied, I
have not the wish. And if I had the wish, I could not now concentrate
sufficiently. We all have only our one cruse of energy given us to make
the best of. And where that energy has been leaked aw