at I could truthfully say I was not."

I tried to talk about my evening, but Haigh would not listen. Said he:
"I'm not interested in that particular kind of nonsense. If you haven't
embraced the glorious principles of anarchy, old chappie, that's enough
to tell. You've met a wise man who's a damned fool, and I've met a fool
who, in points, is a wise man; and I prefer my own find. If you'd heard
him talking about his book that is to be, you'd have stood good chance
of choking with suppressed emotion. It's going to turn out a great
success. He will spend quite three weeks here and in Mallorca, so as to
'do' both islands thoroughly. And then he would like to go to Ivica,
but didn't know whether it was advisable to risk it. Could I advise
him? Were the people there very savage? Oh, my Juggins, my Juggins, you
were something too delicious for words when you got on that tack,
evidently wanting authentic adventures to be enlarged upon for the
great work, and obviously fearing most tremendously to encounter the
same. You won't go to Ivica, I can see that; but I'd bet all I'm worth
that the chapter on 'My Adventure with the Brigands' will appear with
full detail. I've a bit of imagination myself, and I guess I gave you
enough subject-matter to fudge it from most thrillingly."

"Hard lines to stuff the poor wretch too much."

"Not a bit of it, dear boy. The great stay-at-home B.P. will swallow
the yarn chapter and verse, and know for certain that poor harmless
Ivica is a den of robbers; Juggins will believe it all, smoke, flash,
and report, after he has retailed it twice, and will pose as a hero;
and I, I've had my amusement. You should hear him talk about the
illustrations, too. He can't draw or paint; hasn't a notion of either.
And he's never taken a photograph. But a friend advised him to get a
hand camera of the 'Absolutely Simple' pattern, and he's been exposing
plates right and left. A pro.'s to develop them when he gets home if he
can succeed in passing them through the Customs, and if he doesn't get
the thing confiscated for getting pictures of fortresses, both of which
(he informs me) are mighty and great dangers. And, by the way, that
reminds me. He got spilt off a donkey this afternoon, and damaged his
nose and jolted up the camera. Being blissfully ignorant of the
picture-machine's mechanisms he doesn't like to meddle with it, but
'I'm afraid something's gone inside, Mr. Haigh, because it rattles when
I shake it.' S