"You ignorant devil," I said, "you don't know what a dominant fifth is!"
We made grimaces at one another.
"Who's the Master of the Mint?" I asked him. "That is an easy one."
"The Chancellor of the Exchequer," was the prompt reply.
"Oh! that's right," I said sarcastic and crestfallen. "Now tell me the shortest verse in the Bible and the date of Rameses II."
We laughed. R—— is a very clever man and the most extraordinarily versatile man I know. He is bound to make his mark. His danger is—too many irons in the fire. Here are some of his occupations and acquirements: Art (etching, drypoint, water-colours), music (a charming voice), classics, French, German, Italian (both speaking and reading knowledge), biology, etc., etc. He is for ever titillating his mind with some new thing. "For God's sake, do leave it alone—you simply rag your mind to death. Put it out to grass—go thro' an annual season of complete abstinence from knowledge—an intellectual Lent."
No one more than he enjoys my ragging him like this—and I do it rather well.
[1] "I could eat all the elephants of Hindustan and pick my teeth with the Spire of Strassburg Cathedral."
[2] See January 2nd, 1915.