ry long ago--when I should
have loved nothing better than to go with you and take your risks. But
office-holding takes the enthusiasm out of us. One can never do anything
after he has been a Secretary of State.'

'But, look here,' Hamilton said, 'here is a man who has been a
Dictator----'

'Quite a different thing, my dear Hamilton,' Sir Rupert replied. 'A
Dictator is a heroic, informal, unconventional sort of creature. There
are no rules and precedents to bind him. He has no permanent officials.
No one knows what he might or might not turn out. But a Secretary of
State is pledged to respectability and conventionality. St. George might
have gone forth to slay the dragon even though he had several times been
a Dictator; never, never, if he had even once been Secretary of State.'

Captain Sarrasin took all this quite seriously, and promised himself in
his own mind that nothing on earth should ever induce him to accept the
office of Secretary of State. The Dictator quite understood Sir Rupert.
He had learned long since to recognise the fact that Sir Rupert had set
out in life full of glorious romantic dreams and with much good outfit
to carry him on his way--but not quite outfit enough for all he meant to
do. So, after much struggle to be a hero of romance, he had quietly
settled down in time to be a Secretary of State. But the Dictator
greatly admired him. He knew that Sir Rupert had just barely missed a
great career. There is a genuine truth contained in the Spanish proverb
quoted by Dr. Johnson, that if a man would bring home the wealth of the
Indies he must take out the wealth of the Indies with him. If you will
bring home a great career, you must take out with you the capacity to
find a great career.

'You see, I had better not ask you too much about your plans,' Sir
Rupert said hastily; 'although, of course it relieves me from all
responsibility to know that you are only making a peaceful landing.'

'Like any ordinary travellers,' Hamilton said.

'Ah, well, no--I don't quite see that, and I rather fancy Ericson would
not quite see it either. Of course you are going with a certain
political purpose--very natural and very noble and patriotic; but still
you are not like ordinary travellers--not like Cook's tourists, for
example.'

'No-o-o,' Captain Sarrasin almost roared. The idea of his being like a
Cook's tourist!

'Well, that's what I say. But what I was coming to is this. Your
purposes are absolutely peace