"Never mind, never mind; you're a wonder, that's all"--and he
finished the tale without further explanation. Then, while he
smoked another cigarette and she drank another cup of tea, he read
to her "The Return of Imri" and the "Incarnation of Krishna
Mulvaney." He found her an easy and enrapt convert to the little
Englishman's creed, and for himself tasted the intense delight of
revealing to another an appreciation of a literature hitherto
ignored.

"Isn't he strong!" cried Travis. "Just a LITTLE better than Marie
Corelli and the Duchess!"

"And to think of having all those stories to read! You haven't
read any of them yet?"

"Not a one. I've been reading only the novels we take up in the
Wednesday class."

"Lord!" muttered Condy.

Condy's spirits had been steadily rising since the incident aboard
the whaleback. The exhilaration of the water-front, his delight
over the story he was to make out of the old mate's yarn,
Chinatown, the charming unconventionality of their lunch in the
Chinese restaurant, the sparkling serenity of the afternoon, and
the joy of discovering Travis' appreciation of his adored and
venerated author, had put him into a mood bordering close upon
hilarity.