This man had a very long, thin neck, on which was set a long, narrow head, crowned with an out-of-date silk hat. He wore a suit of rusty black, a flaring high collar, that was sadly wilted and lay out over the collar of his coat, and a black string necktie, which was tied in a careless knot. His face was shaven smooth, and a pair of gold-bowed spectacles clung convulsively to the end of a long, thin nose. "Excuse me," he said, in a high-pitched, cracked tin-pan sort of voice. "I seek a fellow laborer in the field of science. You know the Good Book says: 'Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.' I knocked--didn't stop for it to be opened--am in a hurry. Ahem! You"--pointing a long, slim finger at Scotch--"you must be the one I seek." The little professor looked startled. "What have I ever done to you?" he asked, hesitatingly. "Not anything, my dear sir, but I believe you are Professor Scotch, are you not?" "That is right; but I do not know you, sir." "I am Professor Septemas Scudmore, of Pudville Classical Institute, in the State of Ohio." "Never heard of you, sir." "And I never heard of you till a few moments ago, when one of the polite and obliging citizens told me you were here, and asked me why I did not call on you, as you seemed to be a bigger fool than I am, and we might make good company for each other." "What's that?" roared Scotch. "Who dared to say anything like that? The insulting wretch!" Professor Scudmore waved a long, lank hand at the little man. "Do not get agitated," he chirped. "It is not well for a man of your years. You should preserve a calm and even demeanor. Excuse me if I do not always follow my own teaching. We tutors never do." Scotch stared at the strange man as if doubting his sanity. "You seem to enjoy being called a fool!" he growled. "Not at all--not at all. But I have been called that so much that I do not mind it. Genius is ever regarded as folly till it astounds the world. I am a man of genius. You may think that is boasting, but I assure you it is not. I am naturally modest--very modest. But I have found that, in order to be thought anything of by others, I must think well of myself. I am so exceeding frank and honest that I never hide my thoughts, therefore, I tell you candidly what I think of myself." "Well, well!" "It is possible you do not believe in this sort of thing--few do. Duplicity I despise. You are not a man of genius yourself, but you have led others to think you pretty smart, and you have succeeded in getting through the world thus far pretty easy. You are naturally slothful; in fact, I may say you are lazy, and you----" "Hold on there!" thundered the little man. "You may be as frank as you please about yourself, but you had better be careful what you say about me!"