the world.
Perhaps he would get Lionel Maxim to go with him. Or if Maxim could not
come, then possibly Prothero. Some one surely could be found, some one
thinking and talking of statecraft and the larger idea of life. All the
world is not swallowed up in every day....

15

His mind shifted very suddenly from these large proposals to an entirely
different theme. These mental landslips are not unusual when men are
thinking hard and wandering. He found himself holding a trial upon
himself for Presumptuousness, for setting himself up against the wisdom
of the ages, and the decisions of all the established men in the world,
for being in short a Presumptuous Sort of Ass. He was judge and jury
and prosecutor, but rather inexplicably the defence was conducted in an
irregular and undignified way by some inferior stratum of his being.

At first the defence contented itself with arguments that did at least
aim to rebut the indictment. The decisions of all the established men
in the world were notoriously in conflict. However great was the gross
wisdom of the ages the net wisdom was remarkably small. Was it after all
so very immodest to believe that the Liberals were right in what they
said about Tariff Reform, and the Tories right in their criticism of
Home Rule?

And then suddenly the defence threw aside its mask and insisted that
Benham had to take this presumptuous line because there was no other
tolerable line possible for him.

"Better die with the Excelsior chap up the mountains," the defence
interjected.

Than what?

Consider the quality Benham had already betrayed. He was manifestly
incapable of a decent modest mediocre existence. Already he had ceased
to be--if one may use so fine a word for genteel abstinence--virtuous.
He didn't ride well, he hadn't good hands, and he hadn't good hands for
life. He must go hard and harsh, high or low. He was a man who needed
BITE in his life. He was exceptionally capable of boredom. He had been
bored by London. Social occasions irritated him, several times he had
come near to gross incivilities, art annoyed him, sport was an effort,
wholesome perhaps, but unattractive, music he loved, but it excited him.
The defendant broke the sunset calm by uttering amazing and improper
phrases.

"I can't smug about in a state of falsified righteousness like these
Crampton chaps.

"I shall roll in women. I shall rollick in women. If, that is, I stay in
London with nothing more to d