are
countries where the restrictions are not nearly so great as they are in
England; and there are others--beyond the pale of civilisation--where no
restrictions at all exist, and where a clever man, with plenty of grit
to back him up, might perhaps do remarkably well. Still, to penetrate
to such countries a man must take his life in his hands, and, even then,
all his courage may prove insufficient to save him from an unspeakable,
horrible death. Now, what can you do besides doctoring?"

"Nothing that will help me in my present strait," answered Maitland. "I
can sail a boat, swim, ride, or drive a horse, and I can shoot straight;
consequently if I possessed sufficient influence I might be able to get
a job as groom, stableman, or even under-gamekeeper. But none of those
things is good enough for me; I am capable of better things than
grooming horses, cleaning harness, or looking after pheasants; I want
employment that will bring me in good money, and I mean to have it too."

"That's right, Dick; that's the way to talk," returned Humphreys
approvingly. "Modesty is all right, a very desirable and admirable
quality in every young man's character, and one which is seen far too
seldom nowadays. Modesty, however, is one thing, and self-depreciation
quite another. It is a mistake for anyone to underrate his own value,
and, as you very truly say, you are capable of doing much better work
than that needed in either of the occupations that you have named;
therefore you are justified in insisting upon having it. A man has a
perfect right to the very best and most profitable work he is capable of
doing; but he must get it for himself; it is no use for him to sit down
supinely and demand that Providence shall put it into his hands. The
man who is worth his salt will get up and `hustle'--as the Americans
tersely express it--and not rest until he has secured what he wants.
Now, you, my boy, are very heavily handicapped. You have neither money
nor influence to help you to what you want, therefore you will have to
depend upon `hustle' and grit alone; also you have no time to waste in
looking about in this country for the kind of thing you want, which,
even with all the `hustle' and grit imaginable, may take you months, or
even years, to find. No, as you said at the beginning of this
conversation, you must go somewhere abroad to get what you want; and in
a foreign land you may find even such despised accomplishments as
ridin