year round?"

"Yes."

Mackenzie threw him a glance which seemed to take him in from top to
toe. "What do you do?" he asked.

Jim Graham paused for a moment before replying. "I have a good deal to
do," he said. "I've got my place to look after."

"That doesn't take you all your time, does it?"

"It takes a good deal of it. And I'm on the bench."

"That means sending poor devils to prison for poaching your game, I
suppose."

"Not quite that," said Jim, without a smile.

"I suppose what it all does mean is that you live in a big country house
and shoot and hunt and fish to your heart's content, with just enough
work to keep you contented with yourself. By Jove, some men are lucky!
Do you know what my life has been?"

"I know you have been through many adventures and done big things," said
Jim courteously.

"Well, I'm obliged to you for putting it like that. Seems to me I didn't
put my idea of your life quite so nicely, eh?" He stood up and stretched
his tall figure, and laughed. "I'm a rough diamond," he said. "I don't
mind saying so, because it's plain enough for any one to see. I
sometimes envy people like you their easy manners; but I've got to be
content with my own; and after all, they have served my turn well
enough. Look at us two. I suppose I'm about ten years older than you,
but I had made my name when I was your age. You were born in a fine
country house."

"Not so very fine," said Jim.

"Well, pretty fine compared to the house I was born in, which was the
workhouse. You were educated at Eton and Christchurch, and all that sort
of thing----"

"I don't want to spoil any comparison you are going to make," said Jim,
"but I was at Winchester and New College."

"That will do," said Mackenzie. "I was dragged up at the workhouse
school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the
streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by--except
steal. I never did that. I always made up my mind I'd be a big man some
day, and--I'm glad I didn't steal."

"I didn't either, you know," said Jim, "although I'm not a big man, and
never shall be."

"Ah, that's where the likes of me scores. You've no call to ambition.
You have everything you can want provided for you."

"There have been one or two big men born as I was," said Jim. "But
please go on with your story. When did you go on your first journey?"

"When I was sixteen. I looked much older. I shipped before the mast and
went out