a licence to express them uncompromisingly is one of the most
expensive. Perhaps the hardest kind of egotism to cure, is the egotism
that is combined with a deferential courtesy, and the power of
displaying a superficial sympathy, because an egotist of this type so
seldom encounters any checks which would convince him of his fault.
Such people, if they have natural ability, often achieve great success,
because they pursue their own ambitions with relentless perseverance,
and have the tact to do it without appearing to interfere with the
designs of others. They bide their time; they are all consideration and
delicacy; they are never importunate or tiresome; if they fail, they
accept the failure as though it were a piece of undeserved good
fortune; they never have a grievance; they simply wipe up the spilt
milk, and say no more about it; baffled at one point, they go quietly
round the corner, and continue their quest. They never for a moment
really consider any one's interests except their own; even their
generous impulses are deliberately calculated for the sake of the
artistic effect. Such people make it hard to believe in disinterested
virtue; yet they join with the meek in inheriting the earth, and their
prosperity seems the sign of Divine approval.

But apart from the definite steps that the ordinary, moderately
interesting, moderately successful man may take, in the direction of a
cure for egotism, the best cure, after all, for all faults, is a humble
desire to be different. That is the most transforming power in the
world; we may fail a thousand times, but as long as we are ashamed of
our failure, as long as we do not helplessly acquiesce, as long as we
do not try to comfort ourselves for it by a careful parade of our other
virtues, we are in the pilgrim's road. It is a childish fault, after
all. I watched to-day a party of children at play. One detestable
little boy, the clumsiest and most incapable of the party, spent the
whole time in climbing up a step and jumping from it, while he
entreated all the others to see how far he could project himself. There
was not a child there who could not have jumped twice as far, but they
were angelically patient and sympathetic with the odious little wretch.
It seemed to me a sad, small parable of what we so many of us are
engaged all our lives long in doing. The child had no eyes for and no
thoughts of the rest; he simply reiterated his ridiculous performance,
and claimed a