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           Butthere’snohurry.TimeitselfhasgottowaitonthegreatestcountryinthewholeofGod’sUniverse.Weshallbegivingthewordforeverything:industry,trade,law,journalism,art,politics,andreligion,fromCapeHornclearovertoSmith’sSound,andbeyond,too,ifanythingworthtakingholdofturnsupattheNorthPole.Andthenweshallhavetheleisuretotakeinhandtheoutlyingislandsandcontinentsoftheearth.Weshallruntheworld’sbusinesswhethertheworldlikesitornot.Theworldcan’thelpit—andneithercanwe,Iguess.”

           Bythishemeanttoexpresshisfaithindestinyinwordssuitabletohisintelligence,whichwasunskilledinthepresentationofgeneralideas.Hisintelligencewasnourishedonfacts;andCharlesGould,whoseimaginationhadbeenpermanentlyaffectedbytheonegreatfactofasilvermine,hadnoobjectiontothistheoryoftheworld’sfuture.Ifithadseemeddistastefulforamomentitwasbecausethesuddenstatementofsuchvasteventualitiesdwarfedalmosttonothingnesstheactualmatterinhand.HeandhisplansandallthemineralwealthoftheOccidentalProvinceappearedsuddenlyrobbedofeveryvestigeofmagnitude.Thesensationwasdisagreeable;butCharlesGouldwasnotdull.Alreadyhefeltthathewasproducingafavourableimpression;theconsciousnessofthatflatteringfacthelpedhimtoavaguesmile,whichhisbiginterlocutortookforasmileofdiscreetandadmiringassent.