The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-01-16
CHAPTER w


 Startled, Paul spun about. There stood a short man in a tweed suit -- a short man, profoundly tanned, with 9 little gray goatee, and with dark eyes that looked out of a network of fine wrinkles.
 "Dr. Sonders!" said Paul. Wherever did"
 "Where did I come from, aud how did I get here?" said the little man, shaking the hand which Paul thrust at him. T'm on my way back to the diggings in Ga .temala.
 Stopped of to zee the Marquis de Saaze and try to get C 1tribution out of him. He brought me over here. And, meanwhile. what about answering my question:"
 Dr. Sonders was looking up quiz zically He had been Paulg tuotr, or one of them, back in university days. Now he was one of the worlds most famous archeologists. He was an outSpOken, Bardonic little man, awed by no one and impressed by nothing.
 "Your question:" said Paul blsnkly.
 '|Yes. I asked you"-Dr. Conders waved his hand vaguely at the chat tering crowd-"if 1t was a good bar gain to exchange throne for this?"
 Paul looked about him. The air was hay with tobacco smoke, heavy with that and with perfume. powder and the infinitely mixed aroma from the bar. People were begin ming to look flushed and disheyeled Their voices were louder than need be, their laughter was little shrill
 Let's go outside in the air" gaid Paul. He guided the little scientist out to the yeranda and found lit- tie table by the railing. Out in the bay glcamed the lights of cruise ship at anchor. The two men sat down and Dr. Sonders subjected Paul to a careful scrutiny.
 You needn't answer the qucs- tDAAp shiA IT, COiNSIb' hIN hilt there's only one answcr you could possibly make"
 But 1t wasn't fair question" ob- jccted Paul. After all Doctor, didn't exchange my throne for this"
 "No' What did you exchange 1t for?"
 T didn't exchange 1t for any thing, strictly speaking. But if you must make a bargain out of 1t, let's say I exchanged 1t for-for life, for aIize whatever potentialities have for living"
 "Hmmm. And all of this is life, freedom and the chance to realize your God-giycn potcptialitieS?"
 Paul colored. His old tutor could always make him feel like gtam- mering schoolboy who had scampcd his lesgong.
 That isn't fair, either, Doctor" he said. You take one night at q frivolous night resort and make 1t stand for whole career"
 Dr. Sonders shook his head and thrust his goatec forward aggrcs- giveiy.
 Paul, Paul, 1t isn't just one night. l read the paperS, my boy"
 '"Thc papers?"
 "Surciy. You don't guppose that the people of Northumbra are left in ignorance of the way in which you arc spending your time, do you? They get all the detailg--including dOubtless, some that are quite inag- mary. But unless there is great deal more of imagination in these accounts than I have ever known our newspapers to be guilty of, this | night is pretty fair sample, after all.
 T don't mean" he went on, rais- ing . hand as Paul opened his lips | to protest, T don't mean that there's anything 20 terribly bad or abandoned about this crowd here to- night. There's no harm in them not in most of them, anyhow. But Paul, Paul. do hate to see pearls cast before swine"
 "Meaning--2"
 Meaning this"
 The doctor stroked his goatee and looked out over the bay at the lights of the cruise ship.
 pauI, I had king He was fine youSx man, tail and !landsome as q king yh0uld be, and he had keen n1ind and ( warm heart and his sosii Wss clean. He sat in high seene and he was like beacon and 6 eySebol to millions of this eaYthis sired people. To those who needed an Meaf hA NaA q ahlninK example lj