to the wild, shining ecstasy
of Shelley's countenance itself--you would have had Mackworth's face
before its time. I never beheld such spirituality in a fat man. His
stoutness was not unpleasing.

"My boy ... come in ... my God, you're all wet ... you look frail, too."
A pity shone in his eyes. "Minnie, call up Ally Merton ..." turning to
me, "I have, as you can see, no clothes to fit you ... but Ally might
have ... he's about your size, but he carries a trifle more meat on his
bones....

"Come in and dry yourself before the fire till he gets over."

We sat before the gas-fire of artificial logs.

"Minnie, will you make a cup of tea for this--poor boy," and he lowered
his voice at the last two words, realising that I was hearing, too.

"Yes, Jarv!"

* * * * *

I sat at the table in the dining room. Jarvis Alexander Mackworth sat on
the piano-stool, again playing the piano in rhythm rather than in
accompaniment with the records ... it was Caruso now....

"A glorious voice, isn't it, young man?" Mackworth asked, as I ate
voraciously of the cold roast set before me ... of the delicious white
bread and fresh dairy butter, just from the churn of some neighbouring
farmer.

"I know nothing much about music," he continued, "--just appreciate it
... --seems to me that's what we need now, more than anything else ...
appreciation of the arts.... I like to sit here and pick out the
melodies on the piano as the tune runs on. It inspires me. The precious
people, the aesthetic upstarts, make fun of Edison and his 'canned
music,' as they call it ... but I say Edison is one of the great forces
for culture in America to-day. Everybody can't go to New York, London,
Paris, Bayreuth ... not to Chicago even....

"Beauty must come to Osageville, since Osageville cannot come to
Beauty."

I was charmed.

"Mr. Mackworth, you are a great man," I said.

* * * * *

A ring at the bell. Ally Merton....

"Ally, this is Mr. John Gregory, poet at large, Villon of American
Literature ... let us hope, some day a little more of the Whittier ...
Ally--" and the speaker turned to me, "Ally Merton is my right hand man
... my best reporter...."

He took Merton aside, in private talk.... Ally looked me over with a
keen, swift glance that appraised me from head to foot instantly ...
sharply but not hostilely ... as one who takes in a situation in a
comprehensive instant.

"Yes,