From Robert Louis Stevenson's essay *An Apology for Idlers* (1881). Select the word that fits the blank. "It is admitted that the presence of people who refuse to enter in the great handicap race for sixpenny pieces, is at once an insult and a ______ for those who do."

The blank is paired with *insult* by *and*. Stevenson's *and* doublings typically pair near-synonyms reinforcing a single charge — here, *what the busy feel when they see the idle*. Both halves must be negative. "Disenchantment" — disillusionment, the breaking of a spell — fits: the sight of contented idlers *deflates* the busy person's belief that their busy-ness is meaningful. The other three options (*compliment*, *reward*, *blessing*) are all positive, breaking Stevenson's intended pairing with *insult*. Dis- + enchantment: literally, *removal of the spell* — the chosen target loses their belief that their pursuit was a fine and necessary thing.