ork at social and political philosophy if it is
continually worried with problems of scouring pans and emptying slops.
That is why there must be a class of menials, perhaps slaves, in
society, if any advance is to be made towards the finer civilization.

It was Smith who saved the Queen from becoming a drudge and Donovan
from unfamiliar kinds of toil which would probably have still further
injured his heart, would certainly have broken his temper.

Salissa was not by any means a desert island. It was inhabited by
intelligent, kindly people, who kept milk-giving cows and hens which
laid eggs. It was well cultivated. Grapes and wheat grew there. There
were fish in the surrounding sea, and the islanders possessed boats
and nets. Nor were the Donovans castaways of the ordinary kind. They
had a large house, luxuriously furnished. They had ample stores
of every kind. Nevertheless they could scarcely have lived on
Salissa--they would certainly not have tried to live there long--if
they had not had Smith with them. Picnicking is delightful for a short
time. A picnic unduly prolonged degenerates rapidly through all the
stages of discomfort, and ends in actual hardship.

Smith organized the life of the palace. Every morning an island boat
crossed the harbour bringing eggs, milk and fish. Every evening just
at sunset it came again with more milk and if necessary more eggs.
Four island girls were brought from the village by Stephanos the
Elder, and--this was the impression left on the Queen's mind--solemnly
dedicated to domestic service. Smith taught them the elements of
housework. Two boys were taken from the fields and handed over to
Smith. He taught them to polish boots, clean knives, and make all
kinds of metal--silver, brass and copper--shine splendidly. Smith's
work was made easier for him by Stephanos the Elder. That old man
spent two hours every day in the palace. He did not bring osier rods
with him, but the girls knew, and the boys knew still better, that his
arm was strong and that pliant rods hurt horribly. There were no
corners left unswept in the rooms of the palace, no plates unwashed,
no failure in the supply of cans of hot water for Donovan's bedroom or
the Queen's. At first Smith did all the cooking himself. Later, when
one of the girls showed some intelligence, he attended only to the
more difficult and complex dishes. He never allowed any one else to
wait on Donovan. The organization was not accomplished at on