Ian Hay

“ Denny looked up, surprised.
‘Why?’
‘Because every time we make what is known as a bloomer, we learn something. The man who sits back and never asks a foolish question never gets anywhere, under any circumstances. Denny, promise me something.’
‘Rather, Uncle Tony!’
‘At least half of this globe is peopled by folk whose chief joy in life is to impart information; so don’t disappoint them. They will teach you all you want to know, and gladly, for nothing, if you will let them. The failures of humanity are the people who were too proud and too shy to admit that they did not know ”

“ Uncle Tony,’ replied Denny politely.
Uncle Tony surveyed his godson whimsically.
‘Yes,’ he said, ‘you’re right! Advice is what the old give to the young when they’re too decayed to profit by it themselves. This is an improving discourse from Grand-Uncle! But I promised to deliver it, and it’s nearly over. There’s one other thing. Don’t be ashamed of being enthusiastic. Affected indifference is the curse of our nation. Up to a point it’s all right; it fits in with our inborn hatred of advertisement. But we overdo it. When we fail in some cherished undertaking we pretend we don’t care ”

“ Bagby, swelling a little, ‘he must consort with boys of his own station. Denny Cradock is well enough here; but it might stand in Leo’s way if they went into a larger world together. You see, Denny is going to school as a sort of charity-boy, while our son will be paying his way.’
Mr. Bagby groaned softly, and acquiesced. It is useless to explain to an uneducated and purse-proud woman that open scholarships are not awarded by our public schools for sweet charity’s sake. So Mr. Bagby dropped the subject, as he always did, merely hoping that one day his son would overreach himself. ”