stories and constantly touched upon
the most familiar things; but with
what new interest he invests both
theme and illustration! One may
spend a lifetime in a country village,
surrounded by people who are appar-
ently entirely uninteresting; but if
one has the eye of a novelist for the
facts of life, the power to divine char-
acter, the gift to catch the turn of
speech, the trick of voice, the pecu-
liarity of manner, what resources, dis-
coveries, and diversion are at hand!
The artist never has to search for
material; it is always at hand. That
it is old, trite, stale to others, is of no
consequence; it is always fresh and
significant to him.

This freshness of feeling is not in
any way dependent on the character
of the materials upon which it plays;
it is not an irresponsible tempera-

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v?