Page:Henry Northcote (IA henrynorthcote00snairich).pdf/355

 inspiration of the artist failed suddenly and lamentably before he could touch me with the magic that would have rendered me immortal. I am a splendid thing, my beloved, but I shall perish. Therefore the artist has failed."

"This is a masculine intellect of yours," said Northcote, who was captivated by the celerity with which she had interpreted an idea that in his own mind had still the nebulosity of recent birth. "Is it usual to your sex to have such powers?"

"You will confess that you would not say so? Are they not eternally dunces and fools in the austere eyes of the male?"

"Perhaps I make that confession if you insist upon the measure of my ignorance."

"Say rather, my hero, the measure of your inexperience. You see you have only studied those of my sex who are affiliated to the Great Trades' Union. They take eternal vows of foolishness and duncishness before they are admitted to membership of that sanctified order. But with us black-*legs it is different. We are allowed to know everything. You may not know that in our University of the Gutter we have the most learned staff of professors in the world. There is a chair for everything."

"Except for honesty. If there was a chair for that, would there not at once be an end to your intellectual subtlety?"

"You do not know the great university to which I have the honor to belong if you think intellectual dishonesty is tolerated among us. The moment we become intellectually dishonest we have done forever with Alma Mater. She sends us down im