was not greatly disappointed, though he was too polite to say
so. In politics he was a granite-headed Radical; and on several
questions, such as the Church and Free Education, the two men were
hopelessly at variance.

Mr. Chamberlain was the man with whom, on the whole, he believed it
would be best to work. But Mr. Chamberlain could not even see him.

Looking back to this time, it is impossible not to speculate upon how
things might have turned out had the Radical party taken Andrew to them
in his day of devotion to their cause.

This is the saddest spectacle in life, a brave young man's first
meeting with the world. How rapidly the milk turns to gall! For the
cruellest of his acts the vivisectionist has not even the excuse that
science benefits.

Here was a young Scotchman, able, pure, of noble ambition, and a first
medallist in metaphysics. Genius was written on his brow. He may have
written it himself, but it was there.

He offered to take a pound a week less than any other secretary in
London. Not a Cabinet Minister would have him. Lord Randolph
Churchill would not speak to him. He had fifty-eight testimonials with
him. They would neither read nor listen to them.

He could not fasten a quarrel on London, for it never recognised his
existence. What a commentary on our vaunted political life!

Andrew tried the Press.

He sent one of the finest things that was ever written on the Ontology
of Being to paper after paper, and it was never used. He threatened
the "Times" with legal proceedings if it did not return the manuscript.

The "Standard" sent him somebody else's manuscript, and seemed to think
it would do as well.

In a fortnight his enthusiasm had been bled to death.

His testimonials were his comfort and his curse. He would have
committed suicide without them, but they kept him out of situations.

He had the fifty-eight by heart, and went over them to himself all day.
He fell asleep with them, and they were there when he woke.

The moment he found himself in a great man's presence he began:

"From the Rev. Peter Mackay, D. D., author of 'The Disruption Divines,'
Minister of Free St. King's, Dundee.--I have much pleasure in stating
that I have known Mr. Andrew Gordon Cummings Riach for many years, and
have been led to form a high opinion of his ability. In the summer of
18-- Mr. Riach had entire charge of a class in my Sabbath school, when
I had ample opportunity of testing his effici