"Ah, that sort of mark's no use--unless you make it in Company," said the Genius. [Illustration: "HAVEN'T GOT YOUR HEAD ABOVE WATER, I SEE?"] One day, as young Bansted Downs sat in his cistern-cupboard biting his nails, a step was heard on the stair, and his late instructor entered. "I've been all wrong," he said, sitting down on the cistern. "I put you all wrong--I've put all my pupils all wrong. I fell down stairs lately and knocked my head, and when I got up I saw everything--the light broke in upon me!" "Why, you've cut your hair, and you're dressed quite neatly--I should hardly have known you for a Master Genius at all!" exclaimed young Bansted Downs. "I am no longer a Genius--I am now the M.W.K.A.A.I.--the Man Who Knows All About It. I now know why genius fails to get the Ear of the Public, and is not appreciated----" "Fault of the public--everybody knew that before," growled young Bansted Downs. "Pardon me, it is not the fault of the poor public, but the fault of the system. We--the entertainers--have made the mistake of being geniuses; whereas we had no business to meddle with genius at all. "It is the public who ought to have the genius; _they_ should have the lively appreciation, the keen sense of humour, the afflatus, and all that; and then those who cater for them would not need to trouble about those things--they would only have to cater, and leave the public to perceive, by means of their genius, the excellences of the fare provided. If a plain person does something, and geniuses perceive greatness in it, that's a right state of affairs; but if a genius does something great, and plain persons fail to appreciate it, that's a wrong state of things, and a waste of material---see?" "And what do you propose to do?" asked young Bansted Downs. "That's very simple--just make geniuses of the public. Of course the public, having their own affairs to attend to, will not wish to turn caterers and originate--their province is to appreciate, perceive, applaud, and pay at the doors--see? By this system any dullard is enabled, without effort, fatigue, or preliminary study, to Make his Mark and get his F.I., his E.P., and his H.A.W. A child could use it." "But," objected young Bansted Downs, "under your system, dullardism paying so well, everybody would want to cater for the public, and there wouldn't be any audience--any public." "Pooh! The system at present in vogue is all I require--compulsory education. Everybody will have to be educated as a genius, except a few who will be specially exempted from attendance at the Board schools to enable them to lie fallow and fit themselves for originators.