hath never done this thing, so that he cannot be Mr. Talent. But for all that, we will go and inquire, that we may not be in error."
So they went to him that had the bright and knowing eye; and they inquired of him, saying, "Can this other really be Mr. Talent, instead of you?"
"He shook them all by the hand seven times."
And he said, "Nay, he cannot be"; and straightway shook them all by the hand seven times, and made a great feast of chicken and champagne; and he also dictated to them many little pars about himself, the which they were to insert in the papers; and the pars ran thus and thus: "Mr. Talent, who is a very great man, has gone on a yachting cruise," and, "Among the guests at Marlborough House were the Marquis of A, and Prince B, and Mr. Talent," and so forth. And those that wrote the puffs went back satisfied to the editors; and the editors suppressed the letter of him of the back street.
Now, had he of the knowing eye not overlooked one of those whose duty it was to write the puffs, then would all have been well; but there was one of these whose hand he had forgotten to shake, and whose wife and family he had neglected to inquire after; so that this one, reading the letter of him of the back street, felt that there might be something in this thing, and that it was his duty to inquire, in order that justice might be done if necessary.
So he went to him of the back street, and inquired of the matter, holding out his hand to be shaken, and stating that he had a family, and looking about on the table to see if the whisky and soda were there; but when he of the back street neither shook his hand, nor inquired of his family, nor gave him to drink, he said to himself that there could be nothing in it; yet, nevertheless, he got his editor to publish the letter, to the end that he of the knowing eye might be reminded that he had not shaken his hand, nor done his duty.
And the Public read this letter in that newspaper, and were dreadfully puzzled and upset; so much so, that some among them began to believe that he of the back street was Mr. Talent; and there was great confusion and questioning; and everybody went about saying, "Who is the real Mr. Talent?"
Then said he of the bright eye to himself: "Shall I not go into partnership with this old Talent?" (For you see that he called the other by that name to himself, just as though he himself were not Mr. Talent, but someone else; the which is very curious to think of!) And he said, "This old Talent may be useful even to me; at least, I shall be as well with him as without him."
So he went into partnership with him of the back street who had no jam to his bread, and the next week they both came out of the back street and built a
