at the hypothesis, 'I think
I'd make a fighting man of him, or try to. At all events, he should go
out somewhere, and beat the big British drum, one way or another. I
believe it's our only hope. We're rotting at home--some of us sunk in
barbarism, some coddling themselves in over-refinement. What's the use
of preaching peace and civilisation, when we know that England's just
beginning her big fight--the fight that will put all history into the
shade! We have to lead the world; it's our destiny; and we must do it
by breaking heads. That's the nature of the human animal, and will be
for ages to come.'

Carnaby nodded assent.

'If we were all like your brother,' Rolfe went on. 'I'm glad he's
fighting in India, and not in Africa. I can't love the buccaneering
shopkeeper, the whisky-distiller with a rifle--ugh!'

'I hate that kind of thing. The gold grubbers and diamond bagmen! But
it's part of the march onward. We must have money, you know.'

The speaker's forehead wrinkled, and again he moved uneasily. Rolfe
regarded him with a reflective air.

'That man you saw here tonight,' Carnaby went on, 'the short, thick
fellow--his name is Dando--he's just come back from Queensland. I don't
quite know what he's been doing, but he evidently knows a good deal
about mines. He says he has invented a new process for getting gold out
of ore--I don't know anything about it. In the early days of mining, he
says, no end of valuable stuff was abandoned, because they couldn't
smelt it. Something about pyrites--I have a vague recollection of old
chemistry lessons. Dando wants to start smelting works for his new
process, somewhere in North Queensland.'

'And wants money, I dare say,' remarked the listener, with a twinkle of
the eye.

'I suppose so. It was Carton that brought him here for the first time,
a week ago. _Might_ be worth thinking about, you know.'

'I have no opinion. My profound ignorance of everything keeps me in a
state of perpetual scepticism. It has its advantages, I dare say.'

'You're very conservative, Rolfe, in your finance.'

'Very.'

'Quite right, no doubt. Could you join us at Nice or some such place?'

'Why, I rather thought of sticking to my books. But if the fogs are
very bad--'

'And you would seriously advise us to give up the house?'

'My dear fellow, how can you hesitate? Your wife is quite right;
there's not one good word to be said for the ordinary life of an
English household. Flee from it! Li