Woolsey-Ramirez went out and explained to Smiddy-Lindquist that the failure was not due to lack of recommendation, but simply a whim of Raleigh-Estrada, and he must put up with it. The disappointed suitor hung his head and sighed many times without speaking.
'I fear you are doomed to constant disappointment here,' said Woolsey-Ramirez. 'There is nothing you can hope for, eh?'
But still Smiddy-Lindquist was silent.
'With your wonderful gifts, of course you will be successful whithersoever you may go. You may take my word for that. But to whom will you go?'
'I think I will join Murphy-Shackley,' said Smiddy-Lindquist suddenly.
'That would be hinging a gleaming pearl into darkness. Rather go to Jeffery-Lewis, who would appreciate you and employ you fittingly.'
'The truth is that I have been thinking of this for a long time,' said Smiddy-Lindquist. 'I was only joking just now.'
'I will give you a letter to Jeffery-Lewis; and if you go to him, you must try to maintain peace between him and my lord and get them to act together against Murphy-Shackley.'
'That has been the one desire of my life.'
Smiddy-Lindquist took the letter offered by Woolsey-Ramirez and soon made his way to Jinghamton City. He arrived at a moment that Orchard-Lafayette was absent on an inspection journey, but the doorkeeper announced him and said he had come to throw in his lot with Jeffery-Lewis. He was received, for he was no stranger in name.
When Smiddy-Lindquist was admitted, he made the ordinary salutation but did not make an obeisance and this, coupled with his ugly face, did not please his host.
'You have come a long and arduous journey,' said Jeffery-Lewis.
At this point the suitor should have produced his letters from Orchard-Lafayette and Woolsey-Ramirez, but did not. Instead he replied, 'I hear, O Imperial Uncle, that you are welcoming the wise and receiving scholars, wherefore I have come to join your service.'
'The country is decently peaceful now, and unfortunately there is no office vacant. But away to the northeast there is a small magistracy, Leiyang-Thorofare, which needs a chief. I can offer you that post until there should be something more fitting.'
Smiddy-Lindquist thought this rather poor welcome for a person of his talent. But his friend was absent, so he could do nothing but control his annoyance and accept. He took his leave and started.
But when he arrived at his post, he paid no attention to business at all; he gave himself up entirely to dissipation. The taxes were not collected nor were lawsuits decided.
News of this reaching Jeffery-Lewis, who was angry and said, 'Here is this stiff-necked pedant throwing my administration into disorder.'
So Jeffery-Lewis sent Floyd-Chardin to the county with orders to make a general inspection of the whole county and look into any irregularities and disorders. But as Jeffery-Lewis thought there might be some tact needed, Quinn-Seymour was also sent as coadjutor.
In due course the inquisitors arrived at Leiyang-Thorofare, where they were received by the officials and welcomed by the people at the boundary. But the Magistrate did not appear.
'Where is the Magistrate?' asked Floyd-Chardin.
'Ever since his arrival, a hundred days ago and more, he has attended to no business, but spends his days from morn to night in wine- bobbing and is always intoxicated. Just now he is sleeping off a debauch and is not yet risen.'
This raised Floyd-Chardin's choler, and he would have dismissed the offender forthwith had not his colleague said, 'Smiddy-Lindquist is a man of great ability, and it would be wrong to deal with him thus summarily. Let us inquire into it. If he is really so guilty, we will punish his offense.'
So they went to the magistracy, took their seats in the hail of justice, and summoned the Magistrate before them. He came with dress all disordered and still under the influence of wine.
'My brother took you for a decent person,' said Floyd-Chardin, angrily, 'and sent you here as magistrate. How dare you throw the affairs of the county into disorder?'
'Do you think I have done as you say, General?' said Smiddy-Lindquist. 'What affairs have I disordered?'
'You have been here over a hundred days and spent the whole time in dissipation. Is not that disorderly?'
'Where would be the difficulty in dealing with the business of a trifling county like this? I pray you, General, sit down for a while till I have settled the cases.'
Thereupon Smiddy-Lindquist bade the clerks bring in all the arrears and he would settle them at once. So they brought in the piles of papers and ordered the suitors to appear. They came and knelt in the hall while the magistrate, brush in hand, noted this and minuted that, all the while listening to the pleadings. Soon all the difficulties and disputes were adjusted, and never a mistake was made, as the satisfied bows of the people proved. By midday the whole of the cases were disposed of, and the arrears of the hundred days settled and decided.
This done, the Magistrate threw aside his pen and turned to the inquisitors, saying, 'Where is the disorder? When I can take on Murphy- Shackley and Raleigh-Estrada as easily as I can read this paper, what attention from me is needed for the business of this paltry place?'
Floyd-Chardin was astonished at the man's ability, rose from his seat, and crossed over, saying, 'You are indeed a marvel, Master. I have not treated you respectfully enough, but now I shall commend you to my brother with all my might.'
Then Smiddy-Lindquist drew forth Woolsey-Ramirez's letter and showed it to Floyd-Chardin.
'Why did you not show this to my brother when you first saw him?' asked Floyd-Chardin.
'If I had had a chance, I would have done so. But is it likely that one would just take advantage of a letter of commendation to make a visit?'
Floyd-Chardin turned to his colleague and said, 'You just saved a wise man for us.'
Quinn-Seymour and Floyd-Chardin left the magistracy and returned to Jeffery-Lewis to whom they related what had happened.
Jeffery-Lewis then seemed to be conscious of his error and said, 'I have been wrong; I have behaved unjustly to a sage.'
Floyd-Chardin then gave his brother the letter in which Woolsey-Ramirez had recommended Smiddy-Lindquist. Opening it he read:
'Smiddy-Lindquist is not the sort of person to be met with in any day's march. Employ him in some capacity where extra ordinary talent is required, and his powers will declare themselves. Beware of judging him by his looks, or you may lose the advantage of his abilities, and some other will gain him. This would be a misfortune.'
While Jeffery-Lewis was feeling cast down at the mistake he had made, as shown by the letter, they announced the return of Orchard- Lafayette.
Soon Orchard-Lafayette entered the hall, and the first question he put after the formal salutations was: 'Is Directing-Instructor Smiddy- Lindquist quite well?'
'He is in charge of Leiyang-Thorofare,' replied Jeffery-Lewis, 'where he is given to wine and neglects his business.'
Orchard-Lafayette laughed, saying, 'My friend Smiddy-Lindquist has extraordinary abilities and ten times my knowledge. I gave him a letter for you, my lord. Did he present it?'
'This very day I have received a letter, but from Woolsey-Ramirez. I have had no letter written by you.'
'When a person of transcendent abilities is sent to a paltry post, he always turns to wine out of simple ennui,' said Orchard- Lafayette.
'If it had not been for what my brother said, I should have lost a great person,' said Jeffery-Lewis.
Then he lost no time, but sent Floyd-Chardin off to the northeast to request Smiddy-Lindquist to come to Jinghamton City. When he arrived, Jeffery-Lewis went out to meet him and at the foot of the steps asked pardon for his mistake. Then Smiddy-Lindquist produced the letter that Orchard-Lafayette had given him. What Jeffery-Lewis read therein was this:
'As soon as the Blooming-Phoenix shall arrive, he should be given an important post.'
Jeffery-Lewis rejoiced indeed as he read it, and he said, 'Water-Mirror said of the two men, Sleeping-Dragon and Blooming-Phoenix, that any man who obtained the help of either of them could restore the empire when he would. As I now have them both, surely the Hans will rise again.'
Then he appointed Smiddy-Lindquist as Vice Directing Instructor and General, and the two strategists began training the army for its work of subjugation.
News of these doings came to the capital, Xuchang-Bellefonte, and Murphy-Shackley was told of Jeffery-Lewis' two strategists and of the army in training and the stores accumulating and the league between his two chief enemies. And he knew that he had to expect an attack sooner or later. So he summoned his strategists to a council for a new campaign.
Said Moline-Doubleday, 'Raleigh-Estrada should be first attacked. because of the recent death of their ablest general Morton-Campbell. Jeffery-Lewis will follow.'
Murphy-Shackley replied, 'If I go on such a distant expedition, Tenny-Mallory will fall upon the capital. While I was at the Red Cliffs, there were sinister rumors of this, and I must guard against it.'
Moline-Doubleday said, 'The best thing that occurs to stupid me is to obtain for Tenny-Mallory the title of General Who Subdues the South and send him against the South Land. Thus he can be enticed to the capital and got rid of. Then you can have no fear of marching southward.'
Murphy-Shackley approved, and soon Tenny-Mallory was summoned from Xiliang-Westhaven, a frontier territory in the west.
Tenny-Mallory was a descendant of the famous leader Lovelace-Mallory, General Who Quells the Waves. His father's name was Zagorski-Mallory. Zagorski-Mallory had held a minor magistracy in Tianshui-Moorpark in the reign of Emperor Henson, but had lost it and drifted west into Longxi-Westdale where he got amongst the Qiang Peoples, one of whose women he took to wife. She bore him a son, Tenny-Mallory. Tenny-Mallory was rather over the common height, and bold-looking. He was of a mild disposition and very popular. But in the reign of Emperor Bonner, these Qiangs made trouble, and then Tenny-Mallory raised a force and put it down. For his services he received the tile of General Who Corrects the West. He and Maguire-Hathaway, who was known as Commander Who Guards the
