"I could do that, certainly," said I, "but it would not be
according to fact."
"So much the better," said the Tinker; "who wants facts in a
nov-el?"
"Hum!" said I.
"And then again--"
"What more?" I inquired.
"Love!" said the Tinker, wiping his knife-blade on the leg of his
breeches.
"Love?" I repeated.
"And plenty of it," said the Tinker.
"I'm afraid that is impossible," said I, after a moment's
thought.
"How impossible?"
Because I know nothing about love."
"That's a pity," said the Tinker.
"Under the circumstances, it is," said I.
"Not a doubt of it," said the Tinker, beginning to scrub out the
frying-pan with a handful of grass, "though to be sure you might
learn; you're young enough."
"Yes, I might learn," said I; "who knows?"
"Ah! who knows?" said the Tinker. And after he had cleansed the
pan to his satisfaction, he turned to me with dexter finger
upraised and brow of heavy portent. "Young fellow," said he, "no
man can write a good nov-el without he knows summat about love,
it aren't to be expected--so the sooner you do learn, the better."
"Hum!" said I.
"And then, as I said afore and I say it again, they wants love in
a book nowadays, and wot's more they will have it."
"They?" said I.
"The folk as will read your book--after it is written."
"Ah! to be sure," said I, somewhat taken aback; "I had forgotten
them."
"Forgotten them?" repeated the Tinker, staring.
"Forgotten that people might went to read it--after it is
written."
"But," said the Tinker, rubbing his nose hard, "books are written
for people to read, aren't they?"
"Not always," said I.
Hereupon the Tinker rubbed his nose harder than ever.
"Many of the world's greatest books, those masterpieces which
have lived and shall live on forever, were written (as I believe)
for the pure love of writing them."
"Oh!" said the Tinker.
"Yes," said I, warming to my theme, "and with little or no idea
of the eyes of those unborn generations which were to read and
marvel at them; hence it is we get those sublime thoughts
untrammelled by passing tastes and fashions, unbounded by narrow
creed or popular prejudice."