e general good. You may remember that when you first
talked to me of your travels, you also handed me some of the manuscript
you had prepared for the opening chapters of your book and gave me an
outline of the projected plan of the work. Now as I have often told you,
I considered the material for a book of travels contained in your
experiences, as recited to me, as extremely fresh, novel and
entertaining, and would be bound to make what publishers call a 'hit' if
properly presented, but at the same time I am compelled to say that I
soon became convinced that there was no probability that you would
properly present your admirable subject matter to the reading world."

"Upon my word," said I, "this is cool."

"It is hard to speak to you in this way," he answered, "and the only way
in which I can do it is to be perfectly straightforward and honest about
it. I am at heart a literary man, and have, so far as I have the power,
cultivated the art of putting things effectively; and I assure you, sir,
that it gave me actual pain when I found how you were going to present
some of the incidents of your journey, such as, for instance, your
diving experiences in the maelstrom, or at least in the place where it
was supposed to be, and where, judging from your discoveries, it may
under certain conditions and to a certain extent really exist.

"There were a good many other points which I believe could be made of
startling interest and value, not only to ordinary readers, but to
scientific people, if they were properly brought out. I saw no reason
that you would so bring them out, and I felt not only that I could do
it, but that it would delight me to do it.

"My feeling on the subject was so strong that, as you may remember, I
declined to act as your secretary. I am perhaps over-sensitive, but I
could not have written your book as you would have dictated it to me,
and as you did indeed dictate it to your various secretaries."

"Go on," I said, "I am perfectly charmed with my power of repressing
resentment."

"Therefore it was," he continued, "that I set to work to write the book
myself, founding it entirely upon your daily recitals. My plan was to
write as long as I found you were in the humor to talk, and, in fact, if
you lost interest in me as a listener I determined that I would then
declare what I had done, show you my work, and implore you, if you felt
like it, to give me enough subject matter to finish it.

"I have now sta