The Divine Fire

riendly, shabby little den, smelling of old leather and tobacco and the town. They complained that it cut on two-thirds of the light from the front windows of the

ts of The Planet, Stables, who had launched it with frightful impetus into space (having borrowed a sum sufficient for the purpose), Maddox, who controlled its course, and Rankin, whose bri

and started a brand new "weekly" of their own (upon no sort of security beyond their bare brains) were as persons without a single care, worry or responsibility. They were exchanging ideas in an o

ey had hit on a topic alm

he? What is he?"

Stables. He was a very young man with a white face and red eyelids, who looked as

mured Jewdwine, without looking up fr

done?" persis

le things," said Rankin; "things

nearth

ound the five copper-coloured bosses that were his chin and cheeks

ooked British when he was half Celt; he struck you as overbearing when he was only top-heavy; he spoke as if he was angry when he was only in fun, as you c

le about S.K.R. You know th

mean

mythe's berth. We delicately intimated to him that if he liked at any time to de

nterpreted as p

rt. He absolutely

hy

with the lady to write about her. At any rate with that noble

never told ye tha

told me, I said

iffer'nce? I don'

him, tre

dicated by dumb show a surgical oper

suavely, "from his manner. I culle

ested, "he was afraid

that subtle consider

him. The point of the joke is that he happens to owe Dicky a great deal more than he ca

ral courage to oppose Dicky Pilkington at such a moment. He could not have done it h

le, are not popular because they are written about, but written about because they are popular-that The Planet is the organ of public opinion, not of private opinions; i

didn't you rise up in your

my sails by stating beforehand that he didn't want to-that if I didn't mind-mind, if you please-he'd very much rather not. It's only the las

d Rankin; "what

aid Stables; "he'

, "he is mine. I say, Je

to writing. If a majority of members desired to write, silence was vigorously insisted on. Any number short of a maj

Sophocles, battling with that of a-of a junior jour

les. "Haven't got

ell Street'-innocent of-er-the ro

ices, and behave like young men who believe their privacy to be inviolable and complete. They soon had the place to themselves, except for one person whose entrance had been covered by t

obliged to speak rather loudly, because of the n

how did he

led with limpid,

when he's sober, but he's a perfect little gentl

as-a true gent

entlemen. I know '

ewdwine severely, "and a very fine gen

onalities were not altogether to his taste; besides, he was really anxio

ietly, "this conversa

t up and crossed the room. The back was still towards the group of

straight hips, the head tossed a little backwards as if to correct the student's tendency to stoop. He look

were inaudibl

know who

I did. It's th

rds there was a silence which Jewdwine, like the

wonderfully natural voice, between two puffs of a cigarette, "I consider

f his eye he could see "the man himself" standing at the far end of the room. He saw too that his own effort, though supreme, had been unavailing. It had deceived no one, least of all S.K.R. "The man himself" stood on the very hearth of the club, with hi

untenance to mirth, but a curious one-sided smile, implying delicacies, reservations. A slow smile, reminiscent, ruminant, appreciative; it express

to himself, "He isn't a gen

dox had recognized its master, and ha