"H'm! If you can make it seem worth while...."

"Well, can't I?"

"Your work, from the somewhat nature of it, must be critical. Now the critic,nine times out of ten, takes down a volume from its established shelf,dusts it off, ruffles the leaves a bit, and then puts it back where it was.The ruffling is sometimes somewhat nice and interesting and often gives theruffler a good position in the glorious company of earlier rufflers----"

"I shouldn't be satisfied with anything like that. Things have got to move.I want to take some recent, less-known men and put _them_ on theshelves."

"Yet you don't want to waste work on material which time may show as oftransient value, or of none."

"A fellow must chance it. Who gives quickly gives twice;--I suppose thatapplies to praise as well as to money. It irks me to find more praisebestowed on the praised-enough,--even on groups of secondary importance,sometimes just because they are remote (in England, perhaps), and so can betreated with an easy objectivity. To dig in your own day and your owncommunity is harder, but I should feel it more rewarding."

"But aren't the English books really much better? Haven't they more depth,substance and background?"

"Possibly,--according to the conventions they themselves have established--and according to the society they depict."

"Well, Academe hasn't nailed you yet!"

"No; and I hope it won't. I should like to write a whomle book about our recentmen."