aquarrelsome,ill-conditionedfaddist,andunscrupulousatthat.HehadgonethelengthoffakingsomephotographsovertheSouthAmericanbusiness."
"Yousayheisafaddist.Whatishisparticularfad?"
"Hehasathousand,butthelatestissomethingaboutWeissmannandEvolution.HehadafearfulrowaboutitinVienna,Ibelieve."
"Can'tyoutellmethepoint?"
"Notatthemoment,butatranslationoftheproceedingsexists.Wehaveitfiledattheoffice.Wouldyoucaretocome?"
"It'sjustwhatIwant.Ihavetointerviewthefellow,andIneedsomeleaduptohim.It'sreallyawfullygoodofyoutogivemealift.I'llgowithyounow,ifitisnottoolate."
HalfanhourlaterIwasseatedinthenewspaperofficewithahugetomeinfrontofme,whichhadbeenopenedatthearticle"WeissmannversusDarwin,"withthesubheading,"SpiritedProtestatVienna.LivelyProceedings."Myscientificeducationhavingbeensomewhatneglected,Iwasunabletofollowthewholeargument,butitwasevidentthattheEnglishProfessorhadhandledhissubjectinaveryaggressivefashion,andhadthoroughlyannoyedhisContinentalcolleagues."Protests,""Uproar,"and"GeneralappealtotheChairman"werethreeofthefirstbracketswhichcaughtmyeye.MostofthemattermighthavebeenwritteninChineseforanydefinitemeaningthatitconveyedtomybrain.
"IwishyoucouldtranslateitintoEnglishforme,"Isaid,pathetically,tomyhelp-mate.
"Well,itisatranslation."
"ThenI'dbettertrymyluckwiththeoriginal."
"Itiscertainlyratherdeepforalayman."
"IfIcouldonlygetasinglegood,meatysentencewhichseemedtoconveysomesortofdefinitehumanidea,itwouldservemyturn.Ah,yes,thisonewilldo.Iseeminavaguewayalmosttounderstandit.I'llcopyitout.ThisshallbemylinkwiththeterribleProfessor."
"NothingelseIcando?"
"Well,yesIproposetowritetohim.IfIcouldframetheletterhere,anduseyouraddressitwouldgiveatmosphere."
"We'llhavethefellowroundheremakingarowandbreakingthefurniture."
"No,noyou'llseetheletter—nothingcontentious,Iassureyou."
"Well,that'smychairanddesk.You