would be sent back to his bed, maybe. An' if he lay lang i' the mornin' he would hae to gang withoot his breakfast." "That would be all very well where the inmate only broke the regulations once in a way; but suppose he were to refuse to take his bath day after day (and, you know, geniuses are said to be eccentric in that particular), what would be done? You could not starve him; geniuses are too scarce. "Na, na; in a case like that he would hae to be reported to the public. The thing would hae to come afore the Hoose of Commons. Ay, the superintendent would get a member o' the Opposeetion to ask a queistion such as 'Can the honorable gentleman, the Secretary of State for Home Affairs, inform the Hoose whether it is a fac that Mr. Sic-a-one, the well-known genius, at present resident in the Home for Geniuses, has, contrairy to regulations, perseestently and obstinately refused to change his linen; and, if so, whether the Government proposes to tak' ony steps in the matter?' The newspapers would report the discussion next mornin', an' so it would be made public withoot onnecessary ootlay." "In a general way, however, you would give the geniuses perfect freedom? They could work when they liked, and come and go when they liked?" "Not so. The superintendent would fix the hours o' wark, an' they would all write, or whatever it was, thegither in one large room. Man, man, it would mak' a grand draw for a painter chield, that room, wi' all the geniuses working awa' thegither." "But when the labors of the day were over the genius would be at liberty to make calls by himself or to run up, say, to London for an hour or two?" "Hoots no, that would spoil everything. It's the drink, ye see, as does for a terrible lot o' geniuses. Even Rob "Alas! yes. But would you have them all teetotalers?" "What do ye tak' me for? Na, na; the superintendent would allow them one glass o' toddy every nicht, an' mix it himsel; but he would never let the keys o' the press, whaur he kept the drink, oot o' his hands. They would never be allowed oot o' the gairden either, withoot a man to look after them; an' I wouldna burthen them wi' ower muckle pocket money. Saxpence in the week would be suffeecient." "How about their clothes?" "They would get twa suits a year, wi' the letter G sewed on the shoulders, so as if they were lost they could be recognized and brocht back." "Certainly it is a scheme deserving consideration, and I have no doubt our geniuses would jump at it; but you must remember that some of them would have wives." "Ay, an' some o' them would hae husbands. I've been thinkin' that oot, an' I daur say the best plan would be to partition aff a pairt o' the Home for female geniuses. "Would Parliament elect the members?" "I wouldna trust them. The election would hae to be by competitive examination. Na, I canna say wha would draw up the queistions. The scheme's juist growin' i' my mind, but the mair I think o' 't the better I like it." FROM "UNDER THE GREENWOOD TREE." BY THOMAS HARDY. [THOMAS HARDY: An English novelist; born in Dorsetshire, June 2, 1840. At first an architect, and winning a medal from the Royal Institute, he relinquished it for literature at about thirty, and in 1871 published his first novel, "Desperate Remedies." Other works from his pen are: "Under the Greenwood Tree," "A Pair of Blue Eyes," "Far from the Madding Crowd," "The Return of the Native," "The Trumpet Major," "Two on a Tower," "The Mayor of Casterbridge," "Wessex Tales," "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," successfully dramatized, "Jude the Obscure," "The Pursuit of the Well-Beloved."] Dick Dewy, an English carrier, has just brought Fancy Day, with her belongings, to Dudmouth, where she is going to teach school. Dick stops to help her unpack. OWING to Fancy being later in the day than she had promised, the charwoman had given up expecting her, whereupon Dick could do no less than stay and see her comfortably tided through the disagreeable time of entering and establishing herself in an empty house after an absence of a week. The additional furniture and utensils that had been brought (a canary and cage among the rest) were taken out of the vehicle, and the horse was unharnessed and put in the school plot, where there was some tender grass. Dick lighted the fire, and activity began to loosen their tongues a little. "There!" said Fancy, "we forgot to bring the fire irons!" She had originally found in her house, to bear out the expression "nearly furnished" which the school manager had used in his letter to her, a table, three chairs, a fender, and a piece of carpet. This "nearly" had been supplemented hitherto by a kind friend, who had lent her fire irons and crockery until she should fetch some from home. Dick attended to the young lady's fire, using his whip handle for a poker until it was spoiled, and then flourishing a hurdle stick for the remainder of the time. "The kettle boils; now you shall have a cup of tea," said Fancy, diving into the hamper she had brought. "Thank you," said Dick, whose drive had made him ready for a cup, especially in her company. "Well, here's only one cup and saucer, as I breathe! Whatever could mother be thinking about! Do you mind making a shift, Mr. Dewy?" |