sions to the people whom we call
heathen. But I have not been able to bring myself to agree with you
there. They have souls to be saved."

"That is quite likely," said he. "But the methods of the missionaries,
generally speaking, have not tended in that direction. Hence the
missionary as a comestible is more highly esteemed by the natives
than the missionary as a reformer. They rarely understand the natives
themselves, and they nearly always fail to make themselves intelligible
to the natives. It would appear that the two foolish persons who wrote
that letter about Mr. Courtland made but a poor attempt at understanding
even their own countrymen, if they fancied that any rumor of a
massacre of cannibals--nay, any proof of such a massacre--would have an
appreciable effect upon the popularity of the man who brought home the
meteor-bird."

"You don't think that the public generally would believe the story?"
said Phyllis.

"I think it extremely unlikely that they would believe it," he replied.
"But even if they believed every word of it they would not cease to
believe in Mr. Courtland's bravery. What is a hecatomb of cannibals
compared to the discovery of the meteor-bird,--that is, in the eyes of
the general public, or for that matter, the Nonconformist public who
turn up their eyes at the suggestion of a massacre of natives of an
island that is almost as unknown to them as Ireland itself? The people
of this country of ours respect bravery more than any other virtue, and
I'm not altogether sure that they are generally astray in this matter.
The Christian faith is founded upon bravery, and the same faith has
inspired countless acts of brave men and women. Oh, no! Mr. Courtland
will not suffer from the attacks of these foolish persons."

"I saw him this--a short time ago," said Phyllis, "and he told me that
his publishers were delighted at the result of the agitation which that
newspaper tried to get up against him: they said it was selling his
book."

"I saw you talking with Mr. Courtland after the first production of
'Cagliostro.' I envied you--and him," said Mr. Holland. "I wonder if he
was really placed in the unfortunate position of having to massacre a
horde of cannibals."

Phyllis laughed, and forthwith told him the truth as it had been
communicated to her regarding the dynamite outrage upon the unsuspecting
natives, and George Holland was greatly amused at the story--much more
highly amused, it would have occur