years before in Burrows's great story, _Is It, or Is It
Not?_ and anybody who ever read Clink's books on the _Non-Existent as
Opposed to What Is_, knows where Burrows got his points. Burrows's story
was a perfect marvel. I don't know how many editions it went through in
England, and when it was translated into French by Madame Tournay, it
simply set the French wild."

"Great Scott!" whispered the Bibliomaniac, desperately, "I'm afraid
we've been barking up the wrong tree."

"You've read Clink, I suppose?" asked the Idiot, turning to the
School-master.

"Y--yes," returned the School-master, blushing deeply.

The Idiot looked surprised, and tried to conceal a smile by sipping his
coffee from a spoon.

"And Burrows?"

"No," returned the School-master, humbly. "I never read Burrows."

"Well, you ought to. It's a great book, and it's the one _Robert
Elsmere_ is taken from--same ideas all through, I'm told--that's why I
didn't read _Elsmere_. Waste of time, you know. But you noticed
yourself, I suppose, that Clink's ground is the same as that covered in
_Elsmere_?"

"No; I only dipped lightly into Clink," returned the School-master, with
some embarrassment.

"But you couldn't help noticing a similarity of ideas?" insisted the
Idiot, calmly.

The School-master looked beseechingly at the Bibliomaniac, who would
have been glad to fly to his co-conspirator's assistance had he known
how, but never having heard of Clink, or Burrows either, for that
matter, he made up his mind that it was best for his reputation for him
to stay out of the controversy.

"Very slight similarity, however," said the School-master, in despair.

"Where can I find Clink's books?" put in Mr. Whitechoker, very much
interested.

The Idiot conveniently had his mouth full of chicken at the moment, and
it was to the School-master who had also read him that they all--the
landlady included--looked for an answer.

"Oh, I think," returned that worthy, hesitatingly--"I think you'll find
Clink in any of the public libraries."

"What is his full name?" persisted Mr. Whitechoker, taking out a
memorandum-book.

"Horace J. Clink," said the Idiot.

"Yes; that's it--Horace J. Clink," echoed the School-master. "Very
virile writer and a clear thinker," he added, with some nervousness.

"What, if any, of his books would you specially recommend?" asked the
Minister again.

The Idiot had by this time risen from the table, and was leaving the
room with