ere are lots of priests whom I really
like, capital fellows that I'd be glad to dine with every day in the
week--except Friday."

Apparently he was glad to dine with Ascher and me every day in the week,
including Friday.

"There's no sense," he said, "in refusing to talk to a man just because
you don't like his opinions."

I agreed. I even offered proof of my agreement. I was at that moment
talking to Gorman and I certainly did not like his opinions.

When Ascher joined us at dinner on the third evening of our voyage, he
turned out to be a very quiet, gentle little man with no outward sign of
great wealth about him. He drank nothing but Perrier Water which was
a surprise and, I fancy, something of a disappointment to Gorman. He
expected Ascher to order champagne and was quite ready to take his turn
in paying for the wine. Ascher smoked half a cigarette after dinner and
another half cigarette before he went to bed. Gorman confided to me that
millionaires and half-crown cigars had always been associated in his
mind before he met Ascher. To me the most surprising thing about the
man was the low opinion he had of himself and his own abilities. He
was deferential to Gorman and even seemed to think what I said worth
listening to. He knew all about Gorman's two novels and his play. He had
read many of Gorman's newspaper articles. He used to try and make
Gorman talk about literature and art. Gorman, being a man of great
intelligence, hates talking about literature, and suspects that any one
who accuses him of art is poking fun at him. Ascher took both literature
and art quite seriously. He evidently thought that men who write books
belong to a superior class. As a matter of fact Ascher has far more
brains than any author I have ever met; but he does not know this.

Ascher lay down without protest under all the outrageous things which
Gorman said about financiers. His extreme meekness seemed to stimulate
Gorman.

"No qualities," said Gorman, "are required for success as a financier
except a low kind of cunning and a totally unscrupulous selfishness."

Ascher seemed to agree with him. I wanted to point out that considering
the very large number of men who are cunning and the general prevalence
of selfishness the number of successful financiers is surprisingly
small. But Gorman did not give me a chance of speaking.

"Political life in every modern state," said Gorman, "is poisoned,
poisoned at its source by the influence