the failures of
Jefferson D. Farnum," he answered gravely.

Jeff's eyes twinkled. "Is it worth while? I am unworthy of this boon, O
great Cesar."

"Now that's the sort of thing that stands in your way," James told him
impatiently. "People never know when you're laughing at them. There
is no reason why you shouldn't succeed. Your abilities are up to the
average, but you fritter them away."

"Thank you." Jeff wore an air of being immensely pleased.

"The truth is that you're your own worst enemy. Now that you have taken
to dressing better you are not bad looking. I find a good many of the
fellows like you--or they would if you'd let them."

"Because I'm so well connected," Jeff laughed.

"I suppose it does help, your being my cousin. But the thing depends on
you. Unless you make a decided change you'll never get on."

"What change do you suggest? Item one, please?"

James looked straight at him. "You lack bedrock principles, Jeff."

"Do I?"

"Take your habits. Two or three times you've been seen coming out of
saloons."

"Expect I went in to get a drink."

"It's not generally known, of course, but if it reached Prexy he'd fire
you so quick your head would swim."

"I dare say."

The senior looked at him significantly. "You're the last man that ought
to go to such places. There's such a thing as an inherited tendency."

The jaw muscles stood out like ropes under the flesh of Jeff's lean
face. "We'll not discuss that."

"Very well. Cut it out. A drinking man is handicapped too heavily to
win."

"Much obliged. Second count in the indictment, please."

"You've got strange, unsettling notions. The profs don't like them."

"Don't they?"

"You know what I mean. We didn't make this world. We've got to take
it as it is. You can't make it over. There are always going to be rich
people and poor ones. Just because you've fed indigestibly on Ibsen and
Shaw you can't change facts."

"So you advise?"

"Soft pedal your ideas if you must have them."

"Hasn't a man got to see things as straight as he can?"

"That's no reason for calling in the neighbors to rejoice with him
because he has astigmatism."

Jeff came back with a tag of Emerson, whose phrases James was fond of
quoting in his speeches. "Whoso would be a man must be a non-conformist.
Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."

"You can push that too far. It isn't practical. We've got to make
compromises, especially with establis