第10章

Themostknowingpersonswemeetwitharesometimesatfault。Novaonaniapossumusomnesisnotanewnorprofoundaxiom,butitiswelltorememberitasacounterpoisetothatothertrulyAmericansayingofthelateMr。SamuelPatch,"Somethingscanbedoneaswellasothers。"Yes,somethings,butnotallthings。Weallknowmenandwomenwhohatetoadmittheirignoranceofanything。LikeTalkativein"Pilgrim"sProgress,"theyarereadytoconverseof"thingsheavenlyorthingsearthly;thingsmoralorthingsevangelical;

thingssacredorthingsprofane;thingspastorthingstocome;

thingsforeignorthingsathome;thingsmoreessentialorthingscircumstantial。"

Talkativeisapttobeashallowfellow,andtosayfoolishthingsaboutmattersheonlyhalfunderstands,andyethehashisplaceinsociety。Thespecialistswouldgrowtobeintolerable,weretheynotcounterpoisedtosomedegreebythepeopleofgeneralintelligence。

Themanwhoknowstoomuchaboutoneparticularsubjectisliabletobecomeaterriblesocialinfliction。Someoftheworstbores（touseplainlanguage）weevermeetwitharerecognizedasexpertsofhighgradeintheirrespectivedepartments。Bewareofmakingsomuchasapinholeinthedamthatholdsbacktheirknowledge。Theyridetheirhobbieswithoutbitorbridle。ApoetonPegasus,recitinghisownverses,ishardlymoretobedreadedthanamountedspecialist。

Oneofthebestofficeswhichwomenperformformenisthatoftastingbooksforthem。Theymayormaynotbeprofoundstudents,——

someofthemare;butwedonotexpecttomeetwomenlikeMrs。

Somerville,orCarolineHerschel,orMariaMitchellateverydinner—

tableorafternoontea。Butgiveyourelectladyapileofbookstolookoverforyou,andshewilltellyouwhattheyhaveforherandforyouinlesstimethanyouwouldhavewastedinstupefyingyourselfoverasinglevolume。

Oneoftheencouragingsignsofthetimesisthecondensedandabbreviatedforminwhichknowledgeispresentedtothegeneralreader。Theshortbiographiesofhistoricpersonages,ofwhichwithinthepastfewyearsmanyhavebeenpublished,havebeenagreatrelieftothelargeclassofreaderswhowanttoknowsomething,butnottoomuch,aboutthem。

Whatrefugeisthereforthevictimwhoisoppressedwiththefeelingthatthereareathousandnewbooksheoughttoread,whilelifeisonlylongenoughforhimtoattempttoreadahundred？ManyreadersrememberwhatoldRogers,thepoet,said:

"WhenIhearanewbooktalkedaboutorhaveitpresseduponme,I

readanoldone。"

Happythemanwhofindshisrestinthepagesofsomefavoriteclassic！IknownoreadermoretobeenviedthanthatfriendofminewhoformanyyearshasgivenhisdaysandnightstothelovingstudyofHorace。Afteracertainperiodinlife,itisalwayswithaneffortthatweadmitanewauthorintotheinnercircleofourintimates。TheParisianomnibuses,asIrememberthemhalfacenturyago,——theymaystillkeeptothesamehabit,foraughtthatIknow,——

usedtoputupthesign"Complet"assoonastheywerefull。Ourpublicconveyancesareneverfulluntilthenaturalatmosphericpressureofsixteenpoundstothesquareinchisdoubled,intheclosepackingofthehumansardinesthatfilltheall—accommodatingvehicles。Anew—comer,howeverwellmanneredandwelldressed,isnotverywelcomeunderthesecircumstances。Inthesameway,ourtablesarefullofbookshalf—readandbookswefeelthatwemustread。Andherecomeintwothickvolumes,withuncutleaves,insmalltype,withmanypages,andmanylinestoapage,——abookthatmustbereadandoughttobereadatonce。Whatarelieftohanditovertothelovelykeeperofyourliteraryconscience,whowilltellyouallthatyouwillmostcaretoknowaboutit,andleaveyoufreetoplungeintoyourbelovedvolume,inwhichyouareeverfindingnewbeauties,andfromwhichyouriserefreshed,asifyouhadjustcomefromthecoolwatersofHippocrene！Thestreamofmodernliteraturerepresentedbythebooksandperiodicalsonthecrowdedcountersisaturbulentandclamoroustorrent,dashingalongamongtherocksofcriticism,overthepebblesoftheworld"sdailyevents;tryingtomakeitselfseenandheardamidstthehoarsecriesofthepoliticiansandtherumblingwheelsoftraffic。Theclassicisastilllakelet,amountaintarn,fedbyspringsthatneverfail,itssurfaceneverruffledbystorms,——alwaysthesame,alwayssmilingawelcometoitsvisitor。SuchisHoracetomyfriend。Tohiseye"Lydia,dicperomnes"isasfamiliaras"Paternosterquiesincaelis"tothatofapiousCatholic。"Integervitae,"whichhehasputintomanlyEnglish,hisHoraceopenstoasWatt"shymn—bookopensto"Fromallthatdwellbelowtheskies。"Themorehereads,themorehestudieshisauthor,thericherarethetreasureshefinds。AndwhatHoraceistohim,Homer,orVirgil,orDanteistomanyaquietreader,sicktodeathoftheunendingtrainofbookmakers。

Ihavesomecuriousbooksinmylibrary,afewofwhichIshouldliketosaysomethingabouttoTheTeacups,whentheyhavenomoreimmediatelypressingsubjectsbeforethem。Alibraryofafewthousandvolumesoughtalwaystohavesomebooksinitwhichtheowneralmostneveropens,yetwithwhosebacksheissowellacquaintedthathefeelsasifheknewsomethingoftheircontents。

Theyarelikethosepersonswhomwemeetinourdailywalks,withwhosefacesandfigures,whosesummerandwintergarments,whosewalking—sticksandumbrellaseven,wefeelacquainted,andyetwhosenames,whosebusiness,whoseresidences,weknownothingabout。Someofthesebooksaresoformidableintheirdimensions,sorustyandcrabbedintheiraspect,thatittakesaconsiderableamountofcouragetoattackthem。

IwillaskDelilahtobringdownfrommylibraryaverythick,stoutvolume,boundinparchment,andstandingonthelowershelf,nextthefireplace。Theprettyhandmaidknowsmybooksalmostasifsheweremylibrarian,andIdon"tdoubtshewouldhavefounditifIhadgivenonlythenameontheback。

Delilahreturnedpresently,withtheheavyquartoinherarms。Itwasapleasingsight,——theoldbookintheembraceofthefreshyoungdamsel。Ifelt,onlookingatthem,asIdidwhenIfollowedtheslipofagirlwhoconductedusintheTemple,thatancientbuildingintheheartofLondon。Thelong—enduringmonumentsofthedeaddosomockthefleetingpresenceoftheliving！

Isn"tthisbookenoughtoscareanyofyou？Isaid,asDelilahdumpeditdownuponthetable。Theteacupsjumpedfromtheirsaucersasitthumpedontheboard。DanielisGeorgiiMorhofiiPolyhistor,Literarius,PhilosophicusetPoeticus。LubecaeMDCCXXXIII。PerhapsIshouldnothaveventuredtoaskyoutolookatthisoldvolume,ifithadnotbeenforthefactthatDr。JohnsonmentionsMorohofastheauthortowhomhewasspeciallyindebted。——more,Ithink,thantoanyother。Itisagrandoldencyclopaedicsummaryofalltheauthorknewaboutprettynearlyeverything,fullofcuriousinterest,butsostrangelymediaeval,soutterlyantiquatedinmostdepartmentsofknowledge,thatitishardtobelievethevolumecamefromthepressatatimewhenpersonswhomIwellrememberwereliving。IsitpossiblethatthebookswhichhavebeenformewhatMorhofwasforDr。Johnsoncanlooklikethattothestudentoftheyear1990？

Morhofwasabelieverinmagicandthetransmutationofmetals。

Therewasalwayssomethingfascinatingtomeintheoldbooksofalchemy。Ihavefeltthatthepoetryofsciencelostitswingswhenthelastpowderofprojectionhadbeencastintothecrucible,andthefireofthelasttransmutationfurnacewentout。PerhapsIamwronginimplyingthatalchemyisanextinctfolly。ItexistedinNewEngland"searlydays,aswelearnfromtheWinthroppapers,andI

seenoreasonwhygold—makingshouldnothaveitsvotariesaswellasotherpopulardelusions。

AmongtheessaysofMorhofisoneonthe"ParadoxesoftheSenses。"

ThattitlebroughttomindtherecollectionofanotherworkIhavebeenmeaningtosaysomethingabout,atsometimewhenyouwereinthelisteningmood。ThebookIrefertois"ABudgetofParadoxes,"

byAugustusDeMorgan。DeMorganiswellrememberedasaverydistinguishedmathematician,whoseworkshavekepthisnameinhighhonortothepresenttime。ThebookIamspeakingofwaspublishedbyhiswidow,andislargelymadeupoflettersreceivedbyhimandhiscommentsuponthem。Fewpersonseverreaditthrough。Fewintelligentreadersevertookitupandlaiditdownwithouttakingalongdraughtofitssingularandinterestingcontents。Thelettersaremostlyfromthatclassofpersonswhomwecall"cranks,"inourfamiliarlanguage。

AtthispointNumberSeveninterruptedmebycallingout,"Giveussomeofthosecranks"letters。Acrankisamanwhodoeshisownthinking。Ihadarelationwhowascalledacrank。IbelieveIhavebeenspokenofasonemyself。Thatiswhatyouhavetoexpectifyouinventanythingthatputsanoldmachineoutoffashion,orsolveaproblemthathaspuzzledalltheworlduptoyourtime。ThereneverwasareligionfoundedbutitsMessiahwascalledacrank。Thereneverwasanideastartedthatwokeupmenoutoftheirstupidindifferencebutitsoriginatorwasspokenofasacrank。Doyouwanttoknowwhythatnameisgiventothemenwhodomostfortheworld"sprogress？Iwilltellyou。Itisbecausecranksmakeallthewheelsinallthemachineryoftheworldgoround。Whatwouldasteam—enginebewithoutacrank？Isupposethefirstfoolthatlookedonthefirstcrankthatwasevermadeaskedwhatthatcrooked,queer—lookingthingwasgoodfor。Whenthewheelsgotmovinghefoundout。Tellussomethingaboutthatbookwhichhassomuchtosayconcerningcranks。"

HereuponIrequestedDelilahtocarrybackMorhof,andreplacehiminthewidegaphehadleftinthebookshelf。ShewasthentofindandbringdownthevolumeIhadbeenspeakingof。

Delilahtookthewisdomoftheseventeenthcenturyinherarms,anddepartedonhererrand。ThebookshebroughtdownwasgivenmesomeyearsagobyagentlemanwhohadsagaciouslyforeseenthatitwasjustoneofthoseworkswhichImighthesitateaboutbuying,butshouldbewellpleasedtoown。Heguessedwell;thebookhasbeenagreatsourceofinstructionandentertainmenttome。IwonderthatsomuchtimeandcostshouldhavebeenexpendeduponaworkwhichmighthaveborneatitleliketheEncomiumMoriaeofErasmus;andyetitissuchawonderfulmuseumoftheproductionsofthesquintingbrainsbelongingtotheclassofpersonscommonlyknownascranksthatwecouldhardlyspareoneofitsfivehundredoctavopages。

Thoseofuswhoareinthehabitofreceivinglettersfromallsortsofwould—be—literarypeople——lettersofinquiry,manyofthemwithreferencetomatterswearesupposedtounderstand——canreadilyseehowitwasthatMr。DeMorgan,nevertoobusytobegood—naturedwiththepeoplewhopestered——oramused—himwiththeirqueerfancies,receivedsuchanumberoflettersfrompersonswhothoughttheyhadmadegreatdiscoveries,fromthosewhofeltthattheyandtheirinventionsandcontrivanceshadbeenoverlooked,andwhosoughtinhislargecharityofdispositionandgreatreceptivenessabalmfortheirwoundedfeelingsandarayofhopefortheirdarkenedprospects。

Thebookbeforeusismadeupfrompaperspublishedin"TheAthenaeum,"withadditionsbytheauthor。Soonafteropeningitwecometonameswithwhichwearefamiliar,thefirstofthese,thatofCorneliusAgrippa,beingconnectedwiththeoccultandmysticdoctrinesdealtwithbymanyofDeMorgan"scorrespondents。ButthenamemostlikelytoarrestusisthatofGiordanoBruno,thesamephilosopher,heretic,andmartyrwhosestatuehasrecentlybeenerectedinRome,tothegreathorrorofthePopeandhisprelatesintheOldWorldandintheNew。DeMorgan"spithyaccountofhimwillinterestthecompany:"GiordanoBrunowasallparadox。Hewas,ashasbeensaid,avorticistbeforeDescartes,anoptimistbeforeLeibnitz,aCopernicanbeforeGalileo。Itwouldbeeasytocollectahundredstrangeopinionsofhis。Hewasbornabout1550,andwasroastedaliveatRome,February17,1600,forthemaintenanceanddefenceoftheHolyChurch,andtherightsandlibertiesofthesame。"

NumberSevencouldnotcontainhimselfwhenthereadinghadreachedthispoint。Herosefromhischair,andtinkledhisspoonagainstthesideofhisteacup。Itmayhavebeenafancy,butIthoughtitreturnedasoundwhichMr。RichardBriggswouldhaverecognizedasimplyinganorganicdefect。ButNumberSevendidnotseemtonoticeit,or,ifbedid,tomindit。

"Whydidn"tweallhaveachancetohelperectthatstatue？"hecried。"Amurderedhereticatthebeginningoftheseventeenthcentury,aheroofknowledgeinthenineteenth,——Idrinktothememoryoftheroastedcrank,GiordanoBruno！"

NumberSevenliftedhisteacuptohislips,andmostofusfollowedhisexample。

Afterthisoutburstofemotionandeloquencehadsubsided,andtheteaspoonslayquietlyintheirsaucers,IwentonwithmyextractfromthebookIhadinhand。

Ithink,Isaid,thatthepassagewhichfollowswillbenewandinstructivetomostofthecompany。DeMorgan"sinterpretationofthecabalisticsentence,madeupasyouwillfindit,isaboutasingeniousapieceoffancifulexpositionasyouwillbelikelytomeetwithanywhereinanybook,neworold。Iamthemorewillingtomentionitasitsuggestsapuzzlewhichsomeofthecompanymayliketoworkupon。Observethecharacterandpositionofthetwodistinguishedphilosopherswhodidnotthinktheirtimethrownawayinlaboringatthisseeminglypueriletask。

"ThereisakindofCabbalaAlphabeticawhichtheinvestigatorsofthenumeralsinwordswoulddowelltotakeup;itistheformationofsentenceswhichcontainallthelettersofthealphabet,andeachonlyonce。Noonehasdoneitwithvandjtreatedasconsonants;

butyouandIcandoit。Dr。WhewellandIamusedourselvessomeyearsagowithattempts。Hecouldnotmakesense,thoughhejoinedwordshegavemePhiz,styx,wrong,buck,flame,quiz。

"Igavehimthefollowing,whichheagreedwas"admirablesense,"——

Icertainlythinkthewordswouldneverhavecometogetherexceptinthisway:Iquartzpyxwhoflingmuckbeds。Ilongthoughtthatnohumanbeingcouldsaythisunderanycircumstances。AtlastI

happenedtobereadingareligiouswriter,——ashethoughthimself,——

whothrewaspersionsonhisopponentsthickandthreefold。Heydaycameintomyhead;thisfellowflingsmuckbeds;hemustbeaquartzpyx。AndthenIrememberedthatapyxisasacredvessel,andquartzisahardstone,ashardastheheartofareligiousfoe—curser。Sothatthelineisthemottooftheferocioussectarianwhoturnshisreligiousvesselsintomud—holders,forthebenefitofthosewhowillnotseewhathesees。"

Thereareseveralothersentencesgiven,inwhichalltheletters（exceptvandjasconsonants）areemployed,ofwhichthefollowingisthebest:Getnymph;quizsadbrow;fixluck,——whichinmoresoberEnglishwouldbe,Marry;becheerful;watchyourbusiness。Thereismoreedification,marereligion,inthisthaninallthe666

interpretationsputtogether。"

Thereissomethingverypleasantinthethoughtofthesetwosagesplayingatjackstrawswiththelettersofthealphabet。ThetaskwhichDeMorganandDr。Whewell,"theomniscient,"setthemselveswouldnotbeunworthyofourowningeniousscholars,anditmightbeworthwhileforsomeoneofourpopularperiodicalstoofferaprizeforthebestsentenceusingupthewholealphabet,underthesameconditionsasthosesubmittedtobyourtwophilosophers。

ThiswholebookofDeMorgan"sseemstomefullofinstruction。

Thereistoomuchofit,nodoubt;yetonecanputupwiththeredundancyforthesakeofthemultiplicityofshadesofcredulityandself—deceptionitdisplaysinbroaddaylight。Isuspectmanyofusareconsciousofasecondpersonalityinourcomplexnature,whichhasmanytraitsresemblingthosefoundinthewritersofthelettersaddressedtoMr。DeHorgan。

Ihavenotventuredveryoftennorverydeeplyintothefieldofmetaphysics,butifIweredisposedtomakeanyclaiminthatdirection,itwouldbetherecognitionofthesquintingbrain,theintroductionoftheterm"cerebricity"correspondingtoelectricity,theidioticareainthebrainorthinking—marrow,andmystudiesofthesecondmemberinthepartnershipofI—My—Self&Co。IaddtheCo。withespecialreferencetoaveryinterestingarticleinalateScribner,bymyfriendMr。WilliamJames。Inthisarticlethereaderwillfindafullexpositionofthedoctrineofpluralpersonalityillustratedbystrikingcases。Ihavelongagonoticedandreferredtothefactofthestratificationofthecurrentsofthoughtinthreelayers,oneovertheother。Ihaverecognizedthatwheretherearetwoindividualstalkingtogethertherearereallysixpersonalitiesengagedintheconversation。Butthedistinct,separable,independentindividualities,takingupconsciouslifeoneaftertheother,arebroughtoutbyMr。JamesandtheauthoritiestowhichherefersasIhavenotelsewhereseenthemdeveloped。

Whetherweshalleverfindtheexactpositionoftheidioticcentreorareainthebrain（ifsuchaspotexists）isuncertain。Weknowexactlywheretheblindspotoftheeyeissituated,andcandemonstrateitanatomicallyandphysiologically。Butwehaveonlyanalogytoleadustoinferthepossibleorevenprobableexistenceofaninsensiblespotinthethinking—centre。Ifthereisafocalpointwhereconsciousnessisatitshighestdevelopment,itwouldnotbestrangeifnearbythereshouldprovetobeananaestheticdistrictorlimitedspacewherenoreportfromthesenseswasintelligentlyinterpreted。Butallthisismerehypothesis。

NotwithstandingthefactthatIamnominallytheheadpersonageofthecircleofTeacups,IdonotpretendorwishtodenythatwealllooktoNumberFiveasourchiefadviserinalltheliteraryquestionsthatcomebeforeus。Shereadsmoreandbetterthananyofus。Sheisalwaysreadytowelcomethefirstsignofgenius,oroftalentwhichapproachesgenius。Shemakesshortworkwithallthepretenderswhoseonlyexcuseforappealingtothepublicisthatthey"wanttobefamous。"SheisoneoftheveryfewpersonstowhomIamwillingtoreadanyoneofmyownproductionswhileitisyetinmanuscript,unpublished。Iknowsheisdisposedtomakemoreofitthanitdeserves;but,ontheotherhand,therearedegreesinherscaleofjudgment,andIcandistinguishveryeasilywhatdelightsherfromwhatpleasesonly,oris,exceptforherkindlyfeelingtothewriter,indifferent,oropentoseverecomment。Whatiscuriousisthatsheseemstohavenoliteraryaspirations,nodesiretobeknownasawriter。YetNumberFivehasmoreesprit,moresparkle,moresenseinhertalk,thanmanyafamousauthoressfromwhomweshouldexpectbrilliantconversation。

TherearemysteriesaboutNumberFive。Iamnotgoingtodescribeherpersonally。Whethershebelongsnaturallyamongthebrightyoungpeople,orinthecompanyofthematurerpersons,whohavehadagooddealofexperienceoftheworld,andhavereachedthewisdomoftheriperdecadeswithoutlosingthegracesoftheearlierones,itwouldbehardtosay。Themenandwomen,youngandold,whothrongaboutherforgettheirownages。"Thereisnosuchthingastimeinherpresence,"saidtheProfessor,theotherday,inspeakingofher。

WhethertheProfessorisinlovewithherornotismorethanIcansay,butIamsurethathegoestoherforliterarysympathyandcounsel,justasIdo。ThereadermayrememberwhatNumberFivesaidaboutthepossibilityofhergettingasprainedankle,andheraskingtheyoungDoctorwhetherhefeltequaltotakingchargeofherifshedid。Iwouldnotfortheworldinsinuatethathewishesshewouldslipandtwistherfootalittle,——justalittle,youknow,butsothatitwouldhavetobelaidonapillowinachair,andinspected,andbandaged,anddelicatelymanipulated。Therewasabanana—skinwhichshemightnaturallyhavetroddenon,inherwaytothetea—

table。Nobodycansupposethatitwasthereexceptbythemostinnocentofaccidents。Therearepeoplewhowillsuspecteverybody。

TheideaoftheDoctor"sputtingthatbanana—skinthere！Peoplelovetotalkinthatsillywayaboutdoctors。

NumberFivehadpromisedtoreadusanarrativewhichshethoughtwouldinterestsomeofthecompany。Whowroteitshedidnottellus,butIinferredfromvariouscircumstancesthatshehadknownthewriter。Shereadthestorymosteffectivelyinherrich,musicalvoice。Inoticedthatwhenitcametothesoundsofthestrikingclock,theringingofthenoteswassolikethatwhichreachesusfromsomefar—offcathedraltowerthatwewantedtobowourheads,asifwehadjustheardasummonstotheAngelus。ThiswastheshortstorythatNumberFivereadtoTheTeacups:——

Ihavesomewherereadthisanecdote。LouistheFourteenthwaslookingout,oneday,from,awindowofhispalaceofSaint—Germain。

Itwasabeautifullandscapewhichspreadoutbeforehim,andthemonarch,exultinginhealth,strength,andthesplendorsofhisexaltedposition,felthisbosomswellwithemotionsofprideandhappiness:Presentlyhenoticedthetowersofachurchinthedistance,abovethetreetops。"Whatbuildingisthat？"heasked。

"MayitpleaseyourMajesty,thatistheChurchofSt。Denis,whereyourroyalancestorshavebeenburiedformanygenerations。"Theanswerdidnot"pleasehisRoyalMajesty。"There,then,wastheplacewherehetoowastolieandmoulderinthedust。Heturned,sickatheart,fromthewindow,andwasuneasyuntilhehadbuilthimanotherpalace,fromwhichhecouldneverbeappalledbythatfatalprospect。

SomethingliketheexperienceofLouistheFourteenthwasthatoftheownerofTHETERRIBLECLOCK。

Igivethestoryastranscribedfromtheoriginalmanuscript:——

Theclockwasbequeathedtomebyanoldfriendwhohadrecentlydied。Hismindhadbeenagooddealdisorderedinthelaterperiodofhislife。Thisclock,Iamtold;seemedtohaveastrangefascinationforhim。Hiseyeswerefastenedonitduringthelasthoursofhislife。Hediedjustatmidnight。Theclockstrucktwelve,thenursetoldme,ashedrewhislastbreath,andthen,withoutanyknowncause,stopped,withbothhandsuponthehour。

Itisacomplexandcostlypieceofmechanism。Theescapementisinfront,sothateverytoothisseenasitfreesitself。Itshowsthephasesofthemoon,themonthoftheyear,thedayofthemonth,andthedayoftheweek,aswellasthehourandminuteoftheday。

IhadnotowneditaweekbeforeIbegantoperceivethesamekindoffascinationasthatwhichitsformerownerhadexperienced。Thisgraduallygrewuponme,andpresentlyledtotrainsofthoughtwhichbecameatfirstunwelcome,thenworrying,andatlastunendurable。I

beganbytakingoffenceatthemoon。Ididnotliketoseethat"somethinglargeandsmoothandround,"soliketheskullwhichlittlePeterkinpickeduponthefieldofBlenheim。"Howmanytimes,"Ikeptsayingtomyself,"isthatwickedoldmooncominguptostareatme？"Icouldnotstandit。Istoppedapartofthemachinery,andthemoonwentintopermanenteclipse。Byandbythesoundsoftheinfernalmachinebegantotroubleandpursueme。Theytalkedtome;moreandmoretheirlanguagebecamethatofarticulatelyspeakingmen。Theytwittedmewiththerapidflightoftime。Theyhurriedme,asifIhadnotamomenttolose。Quick！

Quick！Quick！aseachtoothreleaseditselffromtheescapement。AndasIlookedandlistenedtherecouldnotbeanymistakeaboutit。I

heardQuick！Quick！Quick！asplainly,atleast,asIeverheardawordfromthephonograph。Istoodwatchingthedialoneday,——itwasnearoneo"clock,——andastrangeattractionheldmefastenedtothespot。Presentlysomethingappearedtotriporstumbleinsideoftheinfernalmechanism。IwaitedforthesoundIknewwastofollow。

HownervousIgot！Itseemedtomethatitwouldneverstrike。Atlasttheminute—handreachedthehighestpointofthedial。Thentherewasalittlestiramongtheworks,asthereisinacongregationasitrisestoreceivethebenediction。Itwasnoformofblessingwhichrungoutthosedeep,almostsepulchraltones。Butthewordtheyutteredcouldnotbemistaken。Icanhearitsprolonged,solemnvibrationsasifIwerestandingbeforetheclockatthismoment。

Gone！Yes,Isaidtomyself,gone,——itsrecordmadeuptobeopenedineternity。

Istoodstill,staringvaguelyatthedialasinatrance。Andasthenexthourcreepsstealthilyup,itstartsallatonce,andcriesaloud,Gone！——Gone！Thesunsinkslower,thehour—handcreepsdownwardwithit,untilIhearthethrice—repeatedmonosyllable,Gone！——Gone！——Gone！Soonthroughthedarkeninghours,untilatthedeadofnightthelongrolliscalled,andwiththelastGone！thelatestofthelongprocessionthatfilledthedayfollowsitsghostlycompanionsintothestillnessanddarknessofthepast。

Isilencedthestrikingpartoftheworks。Still,theescapementkeptrepeating,Quick！Quick！Quick！Stillthelongminute—hand,likethedartinthegraspofDeath,asweseeitinRoubiliac"smonumenttoMrs。Nightingale,amongthetombsofWestminsterAbbey,stretcheditselfout,readytotransfixeachhourasitpassed,andmakeitmylast。Isatbytheclocktowatchtheleapfromonedayoftheweektothenext。Thenwouldcome,innaturalorder,thelongstridefromonemonthtothefollowingone。

Icouldendureitnolonger。"Takethatclockaway！"Isaid。Theytookitaway。Theytookmeaway,too,——theythoughtIneededcountryair。Thesoundsandmotionsstillpursuedmeinimagination。IwasverynervouswhenIcamehere。Thewalksarepleasant,butthewallsseemtomeunnecessarilyhigh。Theboardersarenumerous;alittlemiscellaneous,Ithink。ButwehavetheQueen,andthePresidentoftheUnitedStates,andseveralotherdistinguishedpersons,ifwemaytrustwhattheytellaboutthemselves。

AfterwehadlistenedtoNumberFive"sstory,Iwasrequestedtoreadacoupleofverseswrittenbymewhentheguestofmyfriends,whosenameishintedbythetitleprefixedtomylines。

LAMAISOND"OR。

BARHARBOR。

>FromthisfairhomebeholdoneithersideTherestfulmountainsortherestlesssea:

SothewarmshelteringwallsoflifedivideTimeanditstidesfromstilleternity。

Lookonthewaves:theirstormyvoicesteachThatnotonearthmaytoilandstrugglecease。

Lookonthemountains:betterfarthanspeechTheirsilentpromiseofeternalpeace。

VIII。

Ihadintendedtodevotethisparticularreporttoanaccountofmyrepliestocertainquestionswhichhavebeenaddressedtome,——

questionswhichIhavearighttosupposeinterestthepublic,andwhich,therefore,IwasjustifiedinbringingbeforeTheTeacups,andpresentingtothereadersofthesearticles。

Somemaycareforoneofthesequestions,andsomeforanother。A

goodmanyyoungpeoplethinknothingaboutlifeasitpresentsitselfinthefarhorizon,boundedbythesnowyridgesofthreescoreandthedimpeaksbeyondthatremotebarrier。Again,therearenumbersofpersonswhoknownothingatallabouttheJews;while,ontheotherhand,therearethosewhocan,orthinktheycan,detecttheIsraelitishbloodinmanyoftheiracquaintanceswhobelievethemselvesofthepurestJapheticorigin,andarefullofprejudicesabouttheSemiticrace。

Idonotmeantobecheatedoutofmyintentions。Iproposetoanswermyquestionersonthetwopointsjustreferredto,butIfindmyselfsomuchinterestedinthepersonalaffairsofTheTeacupsthatImustdealwiththembeforeattackingthoselessexcitingsubjects。