第17章

Thencomesalistbeforewhichifyoudonotturnpale,youmustcertainlybeinthehabitofrouging:threeearls,sevenlords,threebishops,twogenerals（oneofthemLordWolseley）,oneadmiral,fourbaronets,nineknights,acrowdofrighthonorableandhonorableladies（manyofthempeeresses）,andamobofotherpersonages,amongwhomIfindMr。Howells,BretHarte,andmyself。

Perhapswearedisposedtosmileatseeingsomuchmadeoftitles;

butafterwhatwehavelearnedofLordTimothyDexterandthehigh—

soundingnamesappropriatedbymanyofourowncompatriots,whohavenomoreclaimtothemthanweplainMistersandMisseses,wemayfeeltothemsomethingasourlatefriendMr。Appletonfelttotherealgreenturtlesoupsetbeforehim,whenhesaidthatitwasalmostasgoodasmock。

Theentertainmentonthisoccasionwasofthemostvariedcharacter。

Theprogrammemakesthefollowingannouncement:

Friday,4July,18—。

At8P。M。theDoorswillOpen。

Mr。HaweiswillreceivehisFriends。

TheRoyalHandbellRingerswillRing。

TheFish—pondwillbeFished。

TheStallswillbeVisited。

ThePhonographwillUtter。

Refreshmentswillbecalledfor,andtheywillcome,——Tea,Coffee,andCoolingDrinks。Spiritswillnotbecalledfor,fromtheVastyDeeporanywhereelse,——norwouldtheycomeiftheywere。

At9。30Mrs。Haweiswilljointheassembly。

Iamparticularlydelightedwiththislastfeatureinthepreliminaryannouncement。Itisaproofofthehighregardinwhichtheestimableandgiftedladywhosharesherhusband"slaborsisheldbythepeopleoftheircongregation,andthefriendswhoshareintheirfeelings。Itissuchamasterstrokeofpolicy,too,tokeepbacktheprincipalattractionuntiltheguestsmusthavegrowneagerforherappearance:Icanwellimaginehowgreatasavingitmusthavebeentothegoodlady"snerves,whichwereprobablyprettywelltriedalreadybythefatiguesandresponsibilitiesofthebusyevening。I

havearighttosaythis,forImyselfhadthehonorofattendingameetingatMr。Haweis"shouse,whereIwasaprincipalguest,asI

suppose,fromthefactofthegreatnumberofpersonswhowerepresentedtome。Theministermustbeverypopular,forthemeetingwasaregularjam,——notquitesotremendousasthatgreaterone,wherebutfortheaidofMr。Smalley,whokeptopenabreathing—spaceroundus,mycompanionandmyselfthoughtweshouldhavebeenasphyxiated。

Thecompanywasinterested,assomeofmyreadersmaybe,toknowwhatweretheattractionsofferedtothevisitorsbesidesthatofmeetingthecourteousentertainersandtheirdistinguishedguests。Icannotgivetheseatlength,foreachpartoftheshowisintroducedintheprogrammewithaptquotationsandpleasantries,whichenlivenedthecatalogue。Therewereelevenstalls,"conductedonthecooperativeprincipleofdivisionofprofitsandinterest;theyretaintheprofits,andyoutakeagooddealofinterest,wehope,intheirsuccess。"

StallNo。1。Edisoniana,orthePhonograph。AlludedtobytheRomanPoetasVox,etpraetereanihil。

StallNo。2。Money—changing。

StallNo。3。ProgrammesandGeneralEnquiries。

StallNo。4。Roses。

Arosebyanyothername,etc。Getone。Youcan"texpecttosmellonewithoutbuyingit,butyoumaybuyonewithoutsmellingit。

StallNo。5。LasenbyLibertyStall。

（Icannotexplainthis。ProbablyarticlesfromLiberty"sfamousestablishment。）

StallNo。6。HistoricalCostumesandCeramics。

StallNo。7。TheFish—pond。

StallNo。8。Varieties。

StallNo。9。Bookstall。

（Books）"highlyrecommendedforinsomnia;friendsweneverspeakto,andalwayscutifwewanttoknowthemwell。"

StallNo。10。Icelandic。

StallNo。11。CallOffice。

"Mrs。Magnusson,whoisdevotedtotheNorthPoleandallitsworks,willthawyoursympathies,enlightenyourminds,"etc。,etc。

Allyoubuymaybeleftatthestalls,ticketed。Aduplicateticketwillbehandedtoyouonleaving。PresentyourduplicateattheCallOffice。

At9。45,FirstConcert。

At10。45,AnAddressofWelcomebyRev。H。R。Haweis。

At11P。M。,Bird—warblingInterludebyMissMabelStephenson,U。S。A。

At11。20,SecondConcert。

NOTICE！

ThreeGreatPictures。

LORDTENNYSON。G。F。Watts,R。A。

JOHNSTUARTMILLG。F。Watts,R。A。

J0SEPHGARIBALDISig。Rondi。

NOTICE！

AFamousViolin。

Aworld—famedStradivariusViolin,forwhichMr。Hill,ofBondStreet,gaveL1000,etc。,etc。

REFRESHMENTS。

TicketsforTea,Coffee,Sandwiches,IcedDrinks,orIces,Sixpenceeach,etc。,etc。

IhopemyAmericanreaderispleasedandinterestedbythisglimpseofthewayinwhichtheydothesethingsinLondon。

Thereissomethingverypleasantaboutallthis,butwhatspeciallystrikesmeisacuriousflavorofcityprovincialism。Therearelittlecentresintheheartofgreatcities,justastherearesmallfresh—waterpondsingreatislandswiththesaltsearoaringallroundthem,andbaysandcreekspenetratingthemasbrinyastheoceanitself。Irvinghasgivenacharmingpictureofsuchaquasi—

provincialcentreinoneofhispapersintheSketch—Book,——theonewiththetitle"LittleBritain。"Londonisanationofitself,andcontainsprovinces,districts,foreigncommunities,villages,parishes,——innumerablelessercentres,withtheirowndistinguishingcharacteristics,habits,pursuit,languages,sociallaws,asmuchisolatedfromeachotherasif"mountainsinterposed"madetheseparationbetweenthem。OneoftheselessercentresisthatoverwhichmyfriendMr。Haweispresidesasspiritualdirector。Chelseahasbeenmadefamousasthehomeofmanyauthorsandartists,——aboveall,astheresidenceofCarlyleduringthegreaterpartofhislife。

Itspopulation,likethatofmostrespectablesuburbs,mustbelongmainlytothekindofcitizenswhichresemblesinmanywaysthebetterclass,——aswesometimesdaretocallit,——ofoneofourthrivingNewEnglandtowns。HowmanyJohnGilpinstheremustbeinthispopulation,——citizensof"famousLondontown,"butlivingwiththesimplicityoftheinhabitantsofourinlandvillages！Inthemightymetropoliswherethewealthoftheworlddisplaysitselftheypractisetheirsnugeconomies,enjoytheirsimplepleasures,andlookuponice—creamasaluxury,justasiftheywerelivingonthebanksoftheConnecticutortheHousatonic,inregionswherethesummerlocustsofthegreatcitieshavenotyetsettledontheverdureofthenativeinhabitants。ItisdelightfultorealizethefactthatwhiletheWestEndofLondonisflauntingitssplendorsandtheEastEndinstrugglingwithitsmiseries,thesegreatmiddle—classcommunitiesarelivingascomfortable,unpretendinglivesasiftheywereinoneofourthrivingtownshipsinthehuckleberry—districts。

Humanbeingsarewonderfullyalikewhentheyareplacedinsimilarconditions。

Weweresittingtogetherinaveryquietwayoverourteacups。TheyoungDoctor,whowasinthebestofspirits,hadbeenlaughingandchattingwiththetwoAnnexes。TheTutor,whoalwayssitsnexttoNumberFiveoflate,hadbeenconversingwithherinratherlowtones。Therestofushadbeensoberlysippingourtea,andwhentheDoctorandtheAnnexesstoppedtalkingtherewasoneofthosedeadsilenceswhicharesometimessohardtobreakinupon,andsoawkwardwhiletheylast。AllatonceNumberSevenexplodedinaloudlaugh,whichstartledeverybodyatthetable。

Whatisitthatsetsyoulaughingso？saidI。

"Iwasthinking,"NumberSevenreplied,"ofwhatyousaidtheotherdayofpoetrybeingonlytheashesofemotion。Ibelievethatsomepeoplearedisposedtodisputetheproposition。Ihavebeenputtingyourdoctrinetothetest。IndoingitImadesomerhymes,——thefirstandonlyonesIevermade。Iwillsupposeacaseofveryexcitingemotion,andseewhetheritwouldprobablytaketheformofpoetryorprose。Youaresuddenlyinformedthatyourhouseisonfire,andhavetoscrambleoutofit,withoutstoppingtotieyourneck—clothneatlyortoputaflowerinyourbuttonhole。Doyouthinkapoetturningoutinhisnight—dress,andlookingonwhiletheflameswereswallowinghishomeandallitscontents,wouldexpresshimselfinthisstyle？

Myhouseisonfire！

Bringmemylyre！

Liketheflamesthatriseheavenwardmysongshallaspire！

Hewouldn"tdoanysuchthing,andyouknowhewouldn"t。HewouldyellFire！Fire！withallhismight。Notmuchrhymingforhimjustyet！Waituntilthefireisputout,andhehashadtimetolookatthecharredtimbersandtheashesofhishome,andinthecourseofaweekhemaypossiblyspinafewrhymesaboutit。Orsupposehewasmakinganofferofhishandandheart,doyouthinkhewoulddeclaimaversifiedproposaltohisAmanda,orperhapswriteanimpromptuonthebackofhishatwhilehekneltbeforeher？

Mybeloved,toyouIwillalwaysbetrue。

Oh,praymakemehappy,mylove,do！do！do！

WhatwouldAmandathinkofasuitorwhocourtedherwitharhymingdictionaryinhispockettohelphimmakelove？"

Youareright,saidI,——there"snothingintheworldlikerhymestocooloffaman"spassion。Youlookatablacksmithworkingonabitofironorsteel。Brightenoughitlookedwhileitwasonthehearth,inthemidstofthesea—coal,thegreatbellowsblowingaway,andtherodorthehorse—shoeasredoraswhiteastheburningcoals。Howitfizzesasitgoesintothetroughofwater,andhowsuddenlyalltheglowisgone！Itlooksblackandcoldenoughnow。

Justsowithyourpassionateincandescence。Itisallwellwhileitburnsandscintillatesinyouremotionalcentres,withoutarticulateandconnectedexpression;buttheminuteyouplungeitintotherhyme—troughitcoolsdown,andbecomesasdeadanddullasthecoldhorse—shoe。Itistruethatifyoulayitcoldontheanvilandhammerawayonitforawhileitwarmsupsomewhat。Justsowiththerhymingfellow,——hepoundsawayonhisversesandtheywarmupalittle。Butdon"tlethimthinkthatthisafterglowofcompositionisthesamethingastheoriginalpassion。Thatfoundexpressioninafewoh,oh"s,eheu"s,helas,helas"s,andwhenthepassionhadburneditselfoutyougottherhymedverses,which,asIhavesaid,areitsashes。

IthankedNumberSevenforhispoeticalillustrationofmythesis。

Thereisgreatgoodtobegotoutofasquintingbrain,ifoneonlyknowshowtoprofitbyit。Weseeonlyonesideofthemoon,youknow,butafellowwithasquintingbrainseemsnowandthentogetapeepattheotherside。Ispeakmetaphorically。Hetakesnewandstartlingviewsofthingswehavealwayslookedatinoneparticularaspect。Thereisaruleinvariablytobeobservedwithoneofthisclassofintelligences:Nevercontradictamanwithasquintingbrain。Isayaman,becauseIdonotthinkthatsquintingbrainsarenearlysocommoninwomenastheyareinmen。The"eccentrics"are,Ithink,forthemostpartofthemalesex。

Thatleadsmetosaythatpersonswithastronginstinctivetendencytocontradictionareapttobecomeunprofitablecompanions。Ourthoughtsareplantsthatneverflourishininhospitablesoilsorchillingatmospheres。Theyareallstartedunderglass,sotospeak;

thatis,shelteredandfosteredinourownwarmandsunnyconsciousness。Theymustexpectsomeroughtreatmentwhenweliftthesashfromtheframeandlettheoutsideelementsinuponthem。

Theycanbeartherainandthebreezes,andbeallthebetterforthem;butperpetualcontradictionisapeltinghailstorm,whichspoilstheirgrowthandtendstokillthemoutaltogether。

Nowstopandconsideramoment。Arenotalmostallbrainsalittlewantinginbilateralsymmetry？Doyounotfindinpersonswhomyoulove,whomyouesteem,andevenadmire,somemarksofobliquityinmentalvision？Aretherenotsomesubjectsinlookingatwhichitseemstoyouimpossiblethattheyshouldeverseestraight？Aretherenotmoodsinwhichitseemstoyouthattheyaredisposedtoseeallthingsoutofplumbandinfalserelationswitheachother？

Ifyouanswerthesequestionsintheaffirmative,thenyouwillbegladofahintastothemethodofdealingwithyourfriendswhohaveatouchofcerebralstrabismus,orareliabletooccasionalparoxysmsofperversity。Letthemhavetheirhead。Getthemtalkingonsubjectsthatinterestthem。Asarule,nothingismorelikelytoservethispurposethanlettingthemtalkaboutthemselves;ifauthors,abouttheirwritings;ifartists,abouttheirpicturesorstatues;andgenerallyonwhatevertheyhavemostprideinandthinkmostoftheirownrelationswith。

PerhapsyouwillnotatfirstsightagreewithmeinthinkingthatslightmentalobliquityisascommonasIsuppose。Ananalogymayhavesomeinfluenceonyourbeliefinthismatter。Willyoutakethetroubletoaskyourtailorhowmanypersonshavetheirtwoshouldersofthesameheight？Ithinkbewilltellyouthatthemajorityofhiscustomersshowadistinctdifferenceofheightonthetwosides。

Willyouaskaportrait—painterhowmanyofthosewhosittohinthavebothsidesoftheirfacesexactlyalike？Ibelievehewilltellyouthatonesideisalwaysalittlebetterthantheother。Whatwillyourhattersayaboutthetwosidesofthehead？Doyouseeequallywellwithbotheyes,andhearequallywellwithbothears？

Fewpersonspastmiddleagewillpretendthattheydo。Whyshouldthetwohalvesofabrainnotshowanaturaldifference,leadingtoconfusionofthought,andverypossiblytothatinstinctofcontradictionofwhichIwasspeaking？Agreatdealoftimeislostinprofitlessconversation,andagooddealofilltemperfrequentlycaused,bynotconsideringtheseorganicandpracticallyinsuperableconditions。Indealingwiththem,acquiescenceisthebestofpalliationsandsilencethesovereignspecific。

Ihavebeenthereporter,asyouhaveseen,ofmyownconversationandthatoftheotherTeacups。Ihavetoldsomeofthecircumstancesoftheirpersonalhistory,andinterested,asIhope,hereandthereareaderinthefateofdifferentmembersofourcompany。HereareourprettyDelilahandourDoctorprovidedfor。Wemaytakeitforgrantedthatitwillnotbeverylongthattheyoungcouplewillhavetowait;for,asIhavetoldyouall,theDoctoriscertainlygettingintobusiness,andbidsfairtohaveathrivingpracticebeforehesaddleshisnosewithaneyeglassandbeginstothinkofapairofspectacles。Sothatpartofourlittledomesticdramaisover,andwecanonlywishthepairthatistobeallmannerofblessingsconsistentwithareasonableamountofhealthinthecommunityonwhoseailingsmustdependtheirprosperity。

AllourthoughtsarenowconcentratedontherelationexistingbetwenNumberFiveandtheTutor。Thatthereissomeprofoundinstinctiveimpulsewhichisdrawingthemclosertogethernoonewhowatchesthemcanforamomentdoubt。Therearetwoprinciplesofattractionwhichbringdifferentnaturestogether:thatinwhichthetwonaturescloselyresembleeachother,andthatinwhichoneiscomplementaryoftheother。Inthefirstcase,theycoalesce,asdotwodropsofwaterorofmercury,andbecomeintimatelyblendedassoonastheytouch;intheother,theyrushtogetherasanacidandanalkaliunite,predestinedfrometernitytofindalltheymostneededineachother。WhatistheconditionofthingsinthegrowingintimacyofNumberFiveandtheTutor？Heismanyyearsherjunior,asweknow。

Bothofthemlookthatfactsquarelyintheface。Thepresumptionisagainsttheunionoftwopersonsunderthesecircumstances。

Presumptionsarestrongobstaclesagainstanyresultwewishtoattain,buthalfourworkinlifeistoovercomethem。Agreatmanyresultslookinthedistancelikesix—footwalls,andwhenwegetnearerprovetobeonlyfive—foothurdles,tobeleapedoverorknockeddown。Twentyyearsfromnowshemaybeavigorousandactiveoldwoman,andheamiddle—aged,half—worn—outinvalid,likesomanyoverworkedscholars。EverythingdependsonthenumberofdropsoftheelixirvitaewhichNaturemingledinthenourishmentsheadministeredtotheembryobeforeittasteditsmother"smilk。ThinkofCleopatra,thebewitchingoldmischief—maker;thinkofNinondeL"Enclos,whoseownsonfelldesperatelyinlovewithher,notknowingtherelationinwhichshestoodtohim;thinkofDr。

Johnson"sfriend,Mrs。Thrale,afterwardMrs。Piozzi,whoattheageofeightywasfullenoughoflifetobemakingloveardentlyandpersistentlytoConway,thehandsomeyoungactor。IcanreadilybelievethatNumberFivewilloutlivetheTutor,evenifheisfortunateenoughratherinwinninghiswayintothefortressthroughgatesthatopentohimoftheirownaccord。Ifhefailsinhissiege,Idoreallybelievehewilldieearly;notofabrokenheart,exactly,butofaheartstarved,withthefooditwascravingclosetoit,butunattainable。Ihave,therefore,adeepinterestinknowinghowNumberFiveandtheTutoraregettingalongtogether。Isthereanydangerofoneortheothergrowingtiredoftheintimacy,andbecomingwillingtogetridofit,likeagarmentwhichhasshrunkandgrowntootight？Isitlikelythatsomeotherattractionmaycomeintodisturbtheexistingrelation？Theproblemistomymindnotonlyinteresting,butexceptionallycurious。YourememberthestoryofCymonandIphigeniaasDrydentellsit。Thepooryouthhasthecapacityofloving,butitlieshiddeninhisundevelopednature。Allatoncehecomesuponthesleepingbeauty,andisawakenedbyhercharmstoahithertounfeltconsciousness。Withtheadventofthenewpassionallhisdormantfacultiesstartintolife,andtheseemingsimpletonbecomesthebrightandintelligentlover。

ThecaseofNumberFiveisasdifferentfromthatofCymonasitcouldwellbe。Allherfacultiesarewideawake,butoneemotionalsideofhernaturehasneverbeencalledintoactiveexercise。Whyhassheneverbeeninlovewithanyoneofhersuitors？Becauseshelikedtoomanyofthem。Doyouhappentorememberapoemprintedamongthesepapers,entitled"ILikeYouandILoveYou"

Nooneofthepoemswhichhavebeenplacedintheurn,——thatis,inthesilversugar—bowl,——hashadanynameattachedtoit;butyoucouldguessprettynearlywhowastheauthorofsomeofthem,certainlyoftheonejust,referredto。NumberFivewasattractedtotheTutorfromthefirsttimehespoketoher。Shedreamedabouthimthatnight,andnothingidealizesandrendersfascinatingoneinwhomwehavealreadyaninterestlikedreamingofhimorofher。Manyacalmsuitorhasbeenmadepassionatebyadream;manyapassionateloverhasbeenmadewildandhalfbesidehimselfbyadream;andnowandthenaninfatuatedbuthaplesslover,wakingfromadreamofblisstoacoldrealityofwretchedness,hashelpedhimselftoeternitybeforehewassummonedtothetable。

SinceNumberFivehaddreamedabouttheTutor,hehadbeenmoreinherwakingthoughtsthanshewaswillingtoacknowledge。Thesethoughtswerevague,itistrue,——emotions,perhaps,ratherthanwordedtrainsofideas;butshewasconsciousofapleasingexcitementashisnameorhisimagefloatedacrossherconsciousness;

shesometimessighedasshelookedoverthelastpassagetheyhadreadfromthesamebook,andsometimeswhentheyweretogethertheyweresilenttoolong,——toolong！Whatweretheythinkingof？

AndsoitwasallasplainsailingforNumberFiveandtheyoungTutorasithadbeenforDelilahandtheyoungDoctor,wasit？Doyouthinkso？ThenyoudonotunderstandNumberFive。ManyawomanhasasmanyatmosphericringsaboutherastheplanetSaturn。Threeareeasilytoberecognized。First,thereisthewideringofattractionwhichdrawsintoitselfallthatoncecrossitsouterborder。Theserevolveaboutherwithoutevercominganynearer。

Nextistheinnerringofattraction。Thosewhocomewithinitsirresistibleinfluencearedrawnsoclosethatitseemsasiftheymustbecomeonewithhersoonerorlater。Butwithinthisringisanother,——anatmosphericgirdle,oneofrepulsion,whichlove,nomatterhowenterprising,nomatterhowprevailingorhowinsinuating,hasneverpassed,and,ifwejudgeofwhatistobebywhathasbeen,neverwill。PerhapsNaturelovedNumberFivesowellthatshegrudgedhertoanymortalman,andgaveherthisinnergirdleofrepulsiontoguardherfromallwhowouldknowhertoonearlyandlovehertoowell。Sometimestwovesselsatseakeepeachothercompanyforalongdistance,itmaybedaringawholevoyage。Verypleasantitistoeachtohaveacompaniontoexchangesignalswithfromtimetotime;tocamenearenough,whenthewindsarelight,toholdconverseinordinarytonesfromdecktodeck;toknowthat,incaseofneed,there"shelpathand。Itisgoodforthemtobeneareachother,butnotgoodtobetoonear。Woeistothemiftheytouch！Thewreckofoneorbothislikelytobetheconsequence。

Andsotwowell—equippedandheavilyfreightednaturesmaybethebestofcompanionstoeachother,andyetmustneverattempttocomeintocloserunion。IsthistheconditionofaffairsbetweenNumberFiveandtheTutor？Ihopenot,forIwantthemtobejoinedtogetherinthatdearestofintimacies,which,iffoundedintrueaffinity,isthenearestapproachtohappinesstobelookedforinourmortal,experience。Wemastwait。TheTeacupswillmeetoncemorebeforethecircleisbroken,andwemay,perhaps,findthesolutionofthequestionwehaveraised。

Inthemeantime,ouryoungDoctorisplayingtruantoftenerthanever。HehasbroughtAvis,——ifwemustcallherso,andnotDelilah,——severaltimestotaketeawithus。Itmeanssomething,inthesedays,tograduatefromoneofourfirst—classacademiesorcollegiateschools。Ishallneverforgetmyfirstvisittooneoftheseinstitutions。Howmuchitspupilsknow,Isaid,whichIwasnevertaught,andhaveneverlearned！Iwasfairlyfrightenedtoseewhatateachingapparatuswasprovidedforthem。Ishouldthinkthefirstthingtobedonewithmostofthehusbands,theyarelikelytogetwouldbetoputthemthroughacourseofinstruction。Theyoungwivesmustfindtheirlordswofullyignorant,inalargeproportionofcases。Whenthewifehaseducatedthehusbandtosuchapointthatshecaninvitehimtoworkoutaprobleminthehighermathematicsortoperformadifficultchemicalanalysiswithherashiscollaborator,aslessinstructeddamesasktheirhusbandstoplayagameofcheckersorbackgammon,theycanhavedelightfulandinstructiveeveningstogether。IhopeouryoungDoctorwilltakekindlytohiswife"s（thatistobe）teachings。

Whenthefollowingversesweretakenoutoftheurn,theMistressaskedmetohandthemanuscripttotheyoungDoctortoread。I

noticedthathedidnotkeephiseyesverycloselyfixedonthepaper。Itseemedasifhecouldhaverecitedthelineswithoutreferringtothemanuscriptatall。

ATTHETURNOFTHEROAD。

Thegloryhaspassedfromthegoldenrod"splume,Thepurple—huedastersstilllingerinbloom;

Thebirchisbrightyellow,thesumachsarered,Themaplesliketorchesaflameoverhead。

Butwhatifthejoyofthesummerispast,Andwinter"swildheraldisblowinghisblast？

FormedullNovemberissweeterthanMay,Formyloveisitssunshine,——shemeetsmeto—day！

Willshecome？Willthering—dovereturntohernest？

Willtheneedleswingbackfromtheeastorthewest？

Atthestrokeofthehourshewillbeathergate;

Afriendmayprovelaggard,——lovenevercomeslate。

DoIseeherafarinthedistance？Notyet。

Tooearly！Tooearly！Shecouldnotforget！

WhenIcrosstheoldbridgewherethebrookoverflowed,Shewillflashfullinsightattheturnoftheroad。

Ipassthelowwallwheretheivyentwines;

Itreadthebrownpathwaythatleadsthroughthepines;

Ihastebytheboulderthatliesinthefield,Whereherpromiseatpartingwaslovinglysealed。

Willshecomebythehillsideorroundthroughthewood？

Willshewearherbrowndressorhermantleandhood？

Theminutedrawsnear,——butherwatchmaygowrong;

Myheartwillbeasking,Whatkeepshersolong？

Whydoubtforamoment？MoreshameifIdo！

Whyquestion？Whytremble？Areangelsmoretrue？

ShewouldcometotheloverwhocallsherhisownThoughshetrodinthetrackofawhirlingcyclone！

——Icrossedtheoldbridgeeretheminutehadpassed。

Ilooked:lo！myLovestoodbeforemeatlast。

Hereyes,howtheysparkled,hercheeks,howtheyglowed,Aswemet,facetoface,attheturnoftheroad！

XII

Therewasagreattinklingofteaspoonstheotherevening,whenI

tookmyseatatthetable,whereailTheTeacupsweregatheredbeforemyentrance。Thewholecompanyarose,andtheMistress,speakingforthem,expressedtheusualsentimentappropriatetosuchoccasions。

"Manyhappyreturns"isthecustomaryformula。Nomatteriftheobjectofthiskindwishisacentenarian,itisquitesafetoassumethatheisreadyandverywillingtoacceptasmanymoreyearsasthedisposingpowersmayseefittoallowhim。

Themeaningofitallwasthatthiswasmybirthday。Myfriends,nearanddistant,hadseenfittorememberit,andtoletmeknowinvariouspleasantwaysthattheyhadnotforgottenit。Thetableswereadornedwithflowers。Giftsofprettyandpleasingobjectsweredisplayedonasidetable。Agreatgreenwreath,whichmusthavecosttheparentoakalargefractionofitsfoliage,wasanobjectofspecialadmiration。Basketsofflowerswhichhadhalfunpeopledgreenhouses,largebouquetsofroses,fragrantbunchesofpinks,andmanybeautifulblossomsIamnotbotanistenoughtonamehadbeencominginuponmealldaylong。Manyoftheseofferingswerebroughtbythegiversinperson;manycamewithnotesasfragrantwithgoodwishesastheflowerstheyaccompaniedwiththeirnaturalperfumes。

HowoldwasI,TheDictator,onceknownbyanotherequallyaudacioustitle,——I,therecipientofallthesefavorsandhonors？Ihadclearedtheeight—barredgate,whichfewcomeinsightof,andfewer,farfewer,goover,ayearbefore。Iwasatrespasseronthedomainbelongingtoanothergeneration。Thechildrenofmycoevalswerefastgettinggrayandbald,andtheirchildrenbeginningtolookupontheworldasbelongingtothem,andnottotheirsiresandgrandsires。Afterthatleapoverthetallbarrier,itlookslikeakindofimproprietytokeeponasifonewerestillofareasonableage。Sometimesitseemstomealmostofthenatureofamisdemeanortobewanderingaboutinthepreservewhichthefleshlessgamekeeperguardssojealously。But,ontheotherhand,Irememberthatmenofsciencehavemaintainedthatthenaturallifeofmanisnearerfivescorethanthreescoreyearsandten。IalwaysthinkofafamiliarexperiencewhichIbringfromtheFrenchcafes,wellknowntomeinmyearlymanhood。OneoftheillustratedpapersofmyParisiandaystellsitpleasantlyenough。

Aguestoftheestablishmentissittingathislittletable。Hehasjusthadhiscoffee,andthewaiterisservinghimwithhispetitverre。Mostofmyreadersknowverywellwhatapetitverreis,buttheremaybehereandthereavirtuousabstainerfromalcoholicfluids,livingamongthebayberriesandthesweetferns,whoisnotawarethatthewords,ascommonlyused,signifyasmallglass——averysmallglass——ofspirit,commonlybrandy,takenasachasse—caf？,orcoffee—chaser。Thisdrinkingofbrandy,"neat,"Imayremarkbytheway,isnotquitesobadasitlooks。Whiskeyorrumtakenunmixedfromatumblerisaknock—downblowtotemperance,butthelittlethimblefulofbrandy,orChartreuse,orMaraschino,isonly,asitwere,tweakingthenoseofteetotalism。

Well,——togobackbehindourbrackets,——theguestiscallingtothewaiter,"Garcon！etlebaindepieds！"Waiter！andthefoot—bath！

——Thelittleglassstandsinasmalltinsaucerorshallowdish,andthecustomistomorethanfilltheglass,sothatsomeextrabrandyrungoverintothistinsaucerorcup—plate,tothemanifestgainoftheconsumer。