"Rubbish! No modern wastes his life in rows of inanimate numerals. We
get out and work at humanity and its problems."

"What are the problems of humanity?"

"Food, employment, education, health."

"All of them mathematical. Economics is mathematical."

"Well, I wish instead of teaching a few thousand students higher algebra
that you had taught your own daughter a little common sense."

"Common sense is not taught. It is a gift of the gods, like genius,"
said the Professor.

Jarvis glanced at him quickly, and took out the notebook.

"Put that thing away!" shouted the Professor. "I will not be annotated."

Jarvis meekly returned it to his pocket, but as the Professor
right-about faced, he exploded:

"For heaven's sake, sit down and listen to me! This mathematical
progression makes me crazy."

"I have just so many rows to do," the Professor replied, as he marched
along. "Do I understand you to criticise my daughter's education?"

"I don't know anything about her education. I didn't know she had one,"