Some Cranks and their Crotchets 453 



ask him for some statement of his own theory was 

 but ordinary courtesy ; but whenever we arrived at 

 this point which happened perhaps half a dozen 

 times he would put on a smile of mystery and 

 decline to pursue the subject. I assured him that 

 he need have no fear of my stealing his thunder, 

 for I had not the requisite knowledge ; but he 

 grew more darkly mysterious than ever, and said 

 that the time for him to speak had not yet come. 



A few months later, this gentleman, whom I 

 will designate as Mr. Flighty, appeared in Cam- 

 bridge, and came to my desk in the college library. 

 Distress was written in his face. He had called 

 upon Professor Silliman and other professors in 

 Eastern colleges, and had been shabbily treated. 

 Nobody had shown him any politeness except Pro- 

 fessor Youmans, in whom he believed he had found 

 a convert. " Ah ! " I exclaimed, " then you told 

 him your theory ; perhaps the time has come when 

 you can tell it to me." But no ; again came the 

 subtle smile, and he began to descant upon the per- 

 secution of Galileo, a favourite topic with cranks 

 of all sorts. He asked me for some of the best 

 books on the undulatory theory, and I gave him 

 Cauchy, whereat he stood aghast, and said the 

 book was full of mathematics which he could not 

 read ; but he would like to see Newton's Opticks, 



