196 LIBERTY AND A LIVING. 



opinion about the weather, unless it is the gov- 

 ernment expert's, and not much for his. 



It is assumed that in town one meets with 

 people who have ideas authors, writers, think- 

 ers, men of science, whose words are full of in- 

 spiration. Perhaps I have been rather fortunate 

 in meeting with people whose names are heard 

 frequently. Yet I cannot say that the loss of 

 such opportunities as I have enjoyed in this 

 respect ever worries me. Take the authors and 

 the writers, for instance. The man who has 

 time and leisure may occasionally, if he likes* 

 that sort of thing, meet the author whose nov- 

 els are most read at the moment. But it is 

 extremely doubtful whether this gentleman will 

 talk half so well in the drawing-room as he does 

 in his book. These authors are devoting the 

 best part of their lives to thinking of something 

 brilliant wherewith to amuse me ; they polish 

 their work, going over it scores of times, finally 

 presenting it to me nicely printed and illus- 

 trated, if necessary. And I may listen as long 

 or as little as I like to what they may have to 

 say. In days when there were no such thing 

 as cheap printing and magazines, I suppose that 

 the talk of the town was essential to many peo- 



