"Tommy?--why, surely! My best of friends. He had got his fellowship
some years before I went up, but I often saw him at Oxford, and he has
helped me innumerable times." The young man spoke eagerly, prepared to
extend warm friendship to any acquaintance of his friend's.
"He and I have sometimes crossed swords," said Mr. Stocks pompously.
Lewis nodded, and forbore to ask which had come off the better.
"He is, of course, very able," said Mr. Stocks, making a generous
admission.
His hearer wondered why he should be told of a man's ability when he had
spoken of him as his friend.
"Have you heard much of him lately?" he asked. "We corresponded
regularly when I was abroad, but of course he never would speak about
himself, and I only saw him for a short time last week in London."
The gentleman addressed waved a deprecating hand.
"He has had no popular recognition. Such merits as he has are too aloof
to touch the great popular heart. But we who believe in the people and
work for them have found him a bitter enemy. The idle, academic,
superior person, whatever his gifts, is a serious hindrance to honest
work," said the popular idol.
"I shouldn't call him idle or superior," said Lewis quietly. "I have
seen hard workers, but I have never seen anything like Tommy. He is a
perfect mill-horse, wasting his fine talent on a dreary routine, merely
because he is conscientious and nobody can do it so well.
Pages:
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56