‘I hope you will stand the test; but you must not ask me to help you to do so. Circumstances may tempt me at times to give you a word of warning; but my present intention is to do my best to resist the temptation. You must do everything for yourself and by yourself, if you are to satisfy me.
‘I admire the spirit which prompts your enterprise, and entirely approve of its object. But here let me speak my first and probably my last word of warning. No doubt you are anxious to convince me that the capital which has been placed at your disposal is not to be thrown away; and it is this anxiety, backed by the enthusiasm of inexperience, that leads you into your first blunder. You calculate upon reaping from six to eight per cent. on your investment. I do not pretend to have gone thoroughly into the subject; but considering the kind of investment and the manner in which you propose to work it, my opinion is that if you count upon from two to three per cent., you will be more likely to avoid disappointment than if you adhere to the figures you have set down. At anyrate, you will err on the safe side.
‘Further: you should also, and to a like extent, moderate your calculations as to the degree of sympathy and co-operation you will receive from the people you intend to benefit. I should be sorry to rob you of any part of the joy which faith in his fellow-men gives to youth. I think the man is happier who fails because he has trusted others, than he who succeeds because he has trusted no one but himself. I have failed in that way, and may fail again; yet my belief in the truth of this principle of trust is unchanged.
‘At the same time, whilst you have faith in others, your eyes should be clear. Before you give your confidence, do what you can to make sure that it is not given to a knave. Should you, with eyes open, allow yourself to be deceived, you would be a fool, not a generous man. I was a fool.
‘Pardon this allusion to myself; there was no intention of making any when this letter was begun.
‘Briefly, whilst hoping that your enterprise may be completely successful, I wish to remind you of the commonplace fact that greed and selfishness are elements which have to be reckoned with in everything we attempt to do for or with others, whether the attempt be made in the wilds of Griqualand or in this centre of civilisation. It is a miserable conclusion to arrive at in looking back on the experience of a life; but it is the inevitable one. The only people you will be able to help are those who are willing to help themselves in the right way—which means those who have learned that the success of a comrade is no barrier to their own success. You will have to learn that the petty jealousies which exist amongst the workers in even the smallest undertakings are as countless as they are incomprehensible to the man who looks on all around him with generous eyes. You will be a happy man if twenty years hence you can say that your experience has been different from mine.
‘You are not to think, however, that I consider all people moved by greed and selfishness alone: I only say that these are elements to be taken into account in dealing with them. The most faithful friends are sometimes found amongst the most ignorant of mankind: the greatest scoundrels amongst those who are regarded as the most cultivated.
‘Do you find this difficult to understand? You must work out its full meaning for yourself. I say no more. You have your warning. Go on your way, and I trust you will prosper.’
This was signed abruptly, Austin Shield, as if the writer feared that he had already said too much.
‘How he must have suffered,’ was Philip’s thought, after the first few moments of reflection over this letter. It was the longest he had ever received from his uncle, and seemed to disclose more of the man’s inner nature than he had hitherto been permitted to see. ‘How he must have suffered! Would I bear the scar so long if—— What stuff and nonsense!’