"Y--yes," returned the School-master, blushing deeply.
The Idiot looked surprised, and tried to conceal a smile by sipping his
coffee from a spoon.
"And Burrows?"
"No," returned the School-master, humbly. "I never read Burrows."
"Well, you ought to. It's a great book, and it's the one _Robert
Elsmere_ is taken from--same ideas all through, I'm told--that's why I
didn't read _Elsmere_. Waste of time, you know. But you noticed
yourself, I suppose, that Clink's ground is the same as that covered in
_Elsmere_?"
"No; I only dipped lightly into Clink," returned the School-master, with
some embarrassment.
"But you couldn't help noticing a similarity of ideas?" insisted the
Idiot, calmly.
The School-master looked beseechingly at the Bibliomaniac, who would
have been glad to fly to his co-conspirator's assistance had he known
how, but never having heard of Clink, or Burrows either, for that
matter, he made up his mind that it was best for his reputation for him
to stay out of the controversy.
"Very slight similarity, however," said the School-master, in despair.
"Where can I find Clink's books?" put in Mr. Whitechoker, very much
interested.
The Idiot conveniently had his mouth full of chicken at the moment, and
it was to the School-master who had also read him that they all--the
landlady included--looked for an answer.
"Oh, I think," returned that worthy, hesitatingly--"I think you'll find
Clink in any of the public libraries.
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