e day his late instructor happened
to come in and find him thus, with his melancholy nose over the edge of
his glass.

"Haven't got your Head Above Water, I see?" said the Master Genius.
"Sorry you haven't Made your Mark."

"I've made a good many," said Downs, pointing to the wet rings on the
counter.

"Ah, that sort of mark's no use--unless you make it in Company," said
the Genius.

[Illustration: "HAVEN'T GOT YOUR HEAD ABOVE WATER, I SEE?"]

One day, as young Bansted Downs sat in his cistern-cupboard biting his
nails, a step was heard on the stair, and his late instructor entered.

"I've been all wrong," he said, sitting down on the cistern. "I put you
all wrong--I've put all my pupils all wrong. I fell down stairs lately
and knocked my head, and when I got up I saw everything--the light broke
in upon me!"

"Why, you've cut your hair, and you're dressed quite neatly--I should
hardly have known you for a Master Genius at all!" exclaimed young
Bansted Downs.

"I am no longer a Genius--I am now the M.W.K.A.A.I.--the Man Who Knows
All About It. I now know why genius fails to get the Ear of the Public,
and is not appreciated----"

"Fault of the public--everybody knew that before," growled young Bansted
Downs.

"Pardon me, it is not the fault of the poor public, but the fault of the
system. We--the entertainers--have made the mistake of being geniuses;
whereas we had no business to meddle with genius at all.

"It is the public who ought to have the genius; _they_ should have the
lively appreciation, the keen sense of humour, the afflatus, and all
that; and then those who cater for them would not need to trouble about
those things--they would only have to cater, and leave the public to
perceive, by means of their genius, the excellences of the fare
provided. If a plain person does something, and geniuses perceive
greatness in it, that's a right state of affairs; but if a genius does
something great, and plain persons fail to appreciate it, that's a wrong
state of things, and a waste of material---see?"

"And what do you propose to do?" asked young Bansted Downs.

"That's very simple--just make geniuses of the public. Of course the
public, having their own affairs to attend to, will not wish to turn
caterers and originate--their province is to appreciate, perceive,
applaud, and pay at the doors--see? By this system any dullard is
enabled, without effort, fatigue, or preliminary study, to Make his Mark
and ge