The same tendency is reflected in the peevish monologue, attributed by tradition to Mark Pattison, and often delightedly repeated by Pater himself. The question of possible travelling-companions was being discussed, when the Rector broke out with: “I would not travel with Pater for anything! He would say the steamboat was not a steamboat, and that Calais was not Calais!” The example that he set was somewhat contagious. Those affected by it became the most subjective of critics, and acquired the superficial conversational method, which consisted in speaking of serious things on social occasions as if they had no seriousness, and of diligently searching for the ridiculous aspect that they could be found to bear. There came a certain reaction at a later date against this style of conversation, until the flippant treatment of topics, however superficially amusing, came to be regarded with perhaps undue impatience. But the fact remains that Pater was in ordinary talk, through early years, _un vrai moqueur_, while the seriousness of his demeanour lent a certain piquancy to his paradoxical talk which had a distinct charm. In this respect, indeed, the caricature of Pater in the pages of the _New Republic_ gives an entirely wrong impression. In the _New Republic_ Mr. Rose is made to talk as though he were uttering his secret thoughts, _dicenda tacenda locutus_, with entire indifference to the tone of the audience that surrounded him. This is a hopeless misconception of Pater’s ordinary ways. There are two or three anecdotes which survive which aptly illustrate the same tendency. I do not know to what extent these reminiscences are coloured by the legendary element, but they are contemporary stories which have survived, and are therefore worth repeating. He was asked, for instance, whether he did not find his College work a great burden to him. He replied with inimitable gravity, “Well, not so much as you might think. The fact is that most of our men are fairly well-to-do, and it is not necessary that they should learn very much. At some Colleges I am told that certain of the young men have a genuine love for learning; if that were so here, it would be quite too dreadful.” He sighed, and looked sadly at his auditor. On another occasion it is said that, when advising a man what to read for Greats, Pater said: “I cannot advise you to read any special books; the great thing is to read authors _whole_; read Plato _whole_; read Kant _whole_; read Mill _whole_.”