his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing

his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect

order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can

distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition

of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest

importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”

 

“But the Solar System!” I protested.

 

“What the deuce is it to me?” he interrupted impatiently; “you say that we go

round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of

difference to me or to my work.”

 

I was on the point of asking him what that work might be, but something in his

manner showed me that the question would be an unwelcome one. I pondered over

our short conversation, however, and endeavoured to draw my deductions from it.

He said that he would acquire no knowledge which did not bear upon his object.

Therefore all the knowledge which he possessed was such as would be useful to

him. I enumerated in my own mind all the various points upon which he had shown

me that he was exceptionally well-informed. I even took a pencil and jotted them

down.

 

I could not help smiling at the document when I had completed it. It ran in this

way—