ion_ on the Mergellina he was well known. He sat opposite Elgar,
and had been in conversation with him.

Mallard cared little what he ate, and ate little of any thing. Neither
was he in the mood for talk; but Elgar, who had finished his solid
meal, and now amused himself with grapes (in two forms), spared him the
necessity of anything but an occasional monosyllable. The young man was
elated, and grew more so as he proceeded with his dessert; his cheeks
were deeply flushed; his eyes gleamed magnificently.

In the meantime Clifford Marsh had joined in conversation with the
Germans; his use of their tongue was far from idiomatic, but by sheer
determination to force a way through linguistic obstacles, he talked
with a haphazard fluency which was amusing enough. No false modesty
imposed a check upon his eloquence. It was to the general table that he
addressed himself on the topic that had arisen; in an English dress his
speech ran somewhat as follows:--

"Gentlemen, allow me to say that I have absolutely no faith in the
future of which you speak! It is my opinion that democracy is the fatal
enemy of art. How can you speak of ancient and mediaeval states?
Neither in Greece nor in Italy was there ever what we understand by a
democracy."

"Factisch! Der Herr hat Recht!" cried some one, and several other
voices strove to make themselves heard; but the orator raised his note
and overbore interruption.

"You must excuse me, gentlemen, if I say that--however it may be from
other points of view--from the standpoint of art, democracy is simply
the triumph of ignorance and brutality."
("Gewisz!"--"Nimmermehr!"--"Vortrefflich!") "I don't care to draw
distinctions between forms of the thing. Socialism, communism,
collectivism, parliamentarism,--all these have one and the same end: to
put men on an equality; and in proportion as that end is approached, so
will art in every shape languish. Art, gentlemen, is nourished upon
inequalities and injustices!" ("Ach!"--"Wie kann man so etwas
sagen!"--"Hoch! verissime!") "I am not representing this as either good
or bad. It may be well that justice should be established, even though
art perish. I simply state a fact!" ("Doch!"--"Erlauben Sie!")
"Supremacy of the vulgar interest means supremacy of ignoble judgment
in all matters of mind. See what plutocracy already makes of art!"

Here one of the Germans insisted on a hearing; a fine fellow, with
Samsonic locks and a ringing voice.

"Sir!