ecame a victim and vanished. For
once a man had the germ in his system, as far as externals were
concerned, he almost ceased to exist.

The infection of Jason occurred in my presence. He had come in to
explain to me a proposed line of campaign as regards the marriage laws.

"This germ of yours has given people the courage to think!" he
exclaimed. "It is extraordinary how timid people were in thinking. It
has launched them out, and now is the time to bring in new proposals."

"In all your calculations, you omit to recollect the effects of the
germ," I said. "Surely you have seen by now that it changes human nature
totally?"

He stared at me uncomprehendingly. He was one of those men, so common in
public life, who have no power of understanding what they themselves
have not experienced. He continued with undiminished enthusiasm.

"We must have marriage contracts for definite periods. With the
increased state of health, and the full span of life confronting every
man, we must face the problem squarely. Now what stands in our way?"

He got up and went to the window. It was a dull foggy day, and there was
frost on the ground. He stared outside for some moments.

"What, I repeat, stands in our way?"

"Well?"

"The Church, and a mass of superstitions that we have inherited from the
Old Testament. That's what stands in our way. We still attach more value
to the Old Testament than to the New. The Scotch, for example, like the
Jews.... Yes, of course.... What was I saying?"

He left the window and sat down once more before me, moving rather
listlessly.

"Yes, Harden. Of course. That's what it is, isn't it? Do you
remember--diddle--yes it was diddle, diddle----"

He paused and frowned.

"Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle," he muttered, "Yes--hey,
diddle, diddle, diddle--that's what it is, isn't it?"

"Of course," I said. "It's all really that."

"Just diddle, diddle, diddle?"

"Yes--if you like."

"That is substituting diddle for riddle," he said earnestly. He frowned
again and passed his hand across his eyes.

"Yes," I said calmly. "It's going a step up."

I suppose about half an hour passed before either of us spoke again
after this extraordinary termination to our conversation. In absolute
silence we sat facing one another and during that time I saw the blue
stain growing clearer and clearer in Jason's eyes. At last he rose.

"It's very odd," he said. "Tell me, were you like this?"

"How do yo