Partan, who liked to extend his geographical knowledge, would have talked of Tibet for the rest of the evening--and Tarmie would have told him news--but Allan broke in. "How's the book, Tarmillan?" he inquired. Tarmillan was engaged on a treatise which those who are competent to judge consider the best thing of its kind ever written. "Oh, don't ask me," he writhed. "Man, it's an irksome thing to write, and to be asked about it makes you squirm. It's almost as offensive to ask a man when his book will be out as to ask a woman when she'll be delivered. I'm glad you invited me--to get away from the confounded thing. It's become a blasted tyrant. A big work's a mistake; it's a monster that devours the brain. I neglect my other work for that fellow of mine; he bags everything I think. I never light on a new thing, but 'Hullo!' I cry, 'here's an idea for the book!' If you are engaged on a big subject, all your thinking works into it or out of it." "M'yes," said Logan; "but that's a swashing way of putting it." "It's the danger of the aphorism," said Allan, "that it states too much in trying to be small.--Tozer, what do you think?" "I never was engaged on a big subject," sniffed Tozer. "We're aware o' that!" said Tarmillan. Tozer went under, and Tarmillan had the table. Allan was proud of him. "Courage is the great thing," said he. "It often succeeds by the mere show of it. It's the timid man that a dog bites. Run _at_ him and he runs." He was speaking to himself rather than the table, admiring the courage that had snubbed Tozer with a word. But his musing remark rang a bell in young Gourlay. By Jove, he had thought that himself, so he had! He was a hollow thing, he knew, but a buckram pretence prevented the world from piercing to his hollowness. The son of his courageous sire (whom he equally admired and feared) had learned to play the game of bluff. A bold front was half the battle. He had worked out his little theory, and it was with a shock of pleasure the timid youngster heard great Allan give it forth. He burned to let him know that he had thought that too. To the youngsters, fat of face and fluffy of its circling down, the talk was a banquet of the gods. For the first time in their lives they heard ideas (such as they were) flung round them royally. They yearned to show that they were thinkers too. And Gourlay was fired with the rest.