 bad, in a way; though you imagine a
fellow saying Have you seen the current Current? At all events, the tone is to
be up to date, and the articles are to be short; no padding, merum sel from
cover to cover. What do you think I have undertaken to do, for a start? A paper
consisting of sketches of typical readers of each of the principal daily and
weekly papers. A deuced good idea, you know - my own, of course - but deucedly
hard to carry out. I shall rise to the occasion, see if I don't. I'll rival
Fadge himself in maliciousness - though I must confess I discovered no
particular malice in the fellow's way of talking. The article shall make a
sensation. I'll spend a whole month on it, and make it a perfect piece of
satire.«
    »Now that's the kind of thing that inspires me with awe and envy,« said
Reardon. »I could no more write such a paper than an article on Fluxions.«
    »'Tis my vocation, Hal! You might think I hadn't experience enough, to begin
with. But my intuition is so strong that I can make a little experience go an
immense way. Most people would imagine I had been wasting my time these last few
years, just sauntering about, reading nothing but periodicals, making
acquaintance with loafers of every description. The truth is, I have been
collecting ideas, and ideas that are convertible into coin of the realm, my boy;
I have the special faculty of an extempore writer. Never in my life shall I do
anything of solid literary value; I shall always despise the people I write for.
But my path will be that of success. I have always said it, and now I'm sure of
it.«
    »Does Fadge retire from The Study, then?« inquired Reardon, when he had
received this tirade with a friendly laugh.
    »Yes, he does. Was going to, it seems, in any case. Of course I heard
nothing about the two reviews, and I was almost afraid to smile whilst Fadge was
talking with me, lest I should betray my thought. Did you know anything about
the fellow before?«
    »Not I. Didn't know who edited The Study.«
    »Nor I either. Remarkable what a number of illustrious obscure are going
about. But I still have something else to tell you. I'm going to set my sisters
afloat in literature.«
    »How
