They want the practical, the blatantly obvious, spiced with a
little emotion. Stocks knows their demands. He began among them, and
at present he is but one remove from them. A garbled quotation from the
Scriptures or an appeal to their domestic affections is the very thing
required. Moreover, the man understands an audience. He can bully it,
you know; put on airs of sham independence to cover his real obeisance;
while you are polite and deferent to hide your very obvious scorn."
"Do you know, Tommy, I'm a coward," Lewis broke in. "I can't face the
people. When I see a crowd of upturned faces, crass, ignorant,
unwholesome many of them, I begin to despair. I cannot begin to explain
things from the beginning; besides, they would not understand me if I
did. I feel I have nothing in common with them. They lead, most of
them, unhealthy indoor lives, their minds are half-baked, and their
bodies half-developed. I feel a terrible pity, but all the same I
cannot touch them. And then I become a coward and dare not face them
and talk straight as man to man. I repeat my platitudes to the ceiling,
and they go away thinking, and thinking rightly, that I am a fool."
Wratislaw looked worried. "That is one of my complaints. The other is
that on certain occasions you cannot hold yourself in check. Do you
know you have been blackguarded in the papers lately, and that there is
a violent article against you in the Critic, and all on account of some
unwise utterances?"
Lewis flushed deeply.
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