Therearestrangediversitiesinthewayinwhichdifferentoldpersonslookupontheirprospects。AmillionairewhomIwellrememberconfessedthatbeshouldliketolivelongenoughtolearnhowmuchacertainfellow—citizen,amultimillionaire,wasworth。
Oneofthe,threenonagenariansbeforereferredtoexpressedhimselfashavingagreatcuriosityaboutthenewsphereofexistencetowhichhewaslookingforward。
Thefeelingmustofnecessitycometomanyagedpersonsthattheyhaveoutlivedtheirusefulness;thattheyarenolongerwanted,butratherintheway,dragsonthewheelsratherthanhelpingthemforward。Butletthemremembertheoften—quotedlineofMilton,\"Theyalsoservewhoonlystandandwait。\"
Thisispeculiarlytrueofthem。Theyarehelpingotherswithoutalwaysbeingawareofit。Theyaretheshields,thebreakwaters,ofthosewhocomeafterthem。Everydecadeisadefenceoftheonenextbehindit。Atthirtytheyouthhassoberedintomanhood,butthestrongmenoffortyriseinalmostunbrokenrankbetweenhimandtheapproachesofoldageastheyshowinthemenoffifty。Atfortyhelookswithasenseofsecurityatthestrongmenoffifty,andseesbehindthemtherowofsturdysexagenarians。Whenfiftyisreached,somehowsixtydoesnotlooksooldasitonceusedto,andseventyisstillafaroff。Aftersixtythesternsentenceoftheburialserviceseemstohaveameaningthatonedidnotnoticeinformeryears。
Therebeginstobesomethingpersonalaboutit。Butifonelivestoseventyhesoongetsusedtothetextwiththethreescoreyearsandteninit,andbeginstocounthimselfamongthosewhobyreasonofstrengtharedestinedtoreachfourscore,ofwhomhecanseeanumberstillinreasonablygoodcondition。Theoctogenarianlovestoreadaboutpeopleofninetyandover。HepeersamongtheasterisksofthetriennialcatalogueoftheUniversityforthenamesofgraduateswhohavebeenseventyyearsoutofcollegeandremainstillunstarred。
Heiscuriousaboutthebiographiesofcentenarians。Suchescapadesasthoseofthatterribleoldsinnerandancestorofgreatmen,theReverendStephenBachelder,interesthimastheyneverdidbefore。
Buthecannotdeceivehimselfmuchlonger。Seehimwalkingonalevelsurface,andhestepsoffalmostaswellasever;butwatchhimcomingdownaflightofstairs,andthefamilyrecordcouldnottellhisyearsmorefaithfully。Hecutyoudead,yousay？DiditoccurtoyouthathecouldnotseeyouclearlyenoughtoknowyoufromanyothersonordaughterofAdam？Hesaidhewasverygladtohearit,didhe,whenyoutoldhimthatyourbelovedgrandmotherhadjustdeceased？Didyouhappentorememberthatthoughhedoesnotallowthatheisdeaf,hewillnotdenythathedoesnothearquitesowellasheusedto？Nomatterabouthisfailings;thelongerheholdsontolife,thelongerhemakeslifeseemtoallthelivingwhofollowhim,andthusheistheirconstantbenefactor。
Everystageofexistencehasitsspecialtrialsanditsspecialconsolations。Habitsarethecrutchesofoldage;bytheaidofthesewemanagetohobblealongafterthementaljointsarestiffandthemusclesrheumatic,tospeakmetaphorically,——thatistosay,wheneveryactofself—determinationcostsaneffortandapang。Webecomemoreandmoreautomaticaswegrowolder,andifwelivedlongenoughweshouldcometobepiecesofcreakingmachinerylikeMaelzel\'schessplayer,——orwhatthatseemedtobe。
Emersonwassixty—threeyearsold,theyearIhavereferredtoasthatofthegrandclimacteric,whenhereadtohissonthepoemhecalled\"Terminus,\"beginning:
\"Itistimetobeold,Totakeinsail。
TheGodofbounds,Whosetstoseasashore,CametomeinhisfatalroundsAndsaid,\'Nomore！\'\"
Itwasearlyinlifetofeelthattheproductivestagewasover,buthehadreceivedwarningfromwithin,anddidnotwishtowaitforoutsideadvices。Thereisallthedifferenceintheworldinthementalasinthebodilyconstitutionofdifferentindividuals。Somemust\"takeinsail\"sooner,somelater。WecangetausefullessonfromtheAmericanandtheEnglishelmsonourCommon。TheAmericanelmsarequitebare,andhavebeensoforweeks。Theyknowverywellthattheyaregoingtohavestormstowrestlewith;theyhavenotforgottenthegalesofSeptemberandthetempestsofthelateautumnandearlywinter。Itisahardfighttheyaregoingtohave,andtheystriptheircoatsoffandrolluptheirshirt—sleeves,andshowthemselvesbare—armedandreadyforthecontest。TheEnglishelmsareofamorerobustbuild,andstanddefiant,withalltheirsummerclothingabouttheirsturdyframes。TheymayyethavetolearnalessonoftheirAmericancousins,fornotwithstandingtheircompactandsolidstructuretheygotopiecesinthegreatwindsjustasoursdo。Wemustdropmuchofourfoliagebeforewinterisuponus。Wemusttakeinsailandthrowovercargo,ifthatisnecessary,tokeepusafloat。Wehavetodecidebetweenourdutiesandourinstinctivedemandofrest。Icanbelievethatsomehavewelcomedthedecayoftheiractivepowersbecauseitfurnishedthemwithperemptoryreasonsforsparingthemselvesduringthefewyearsthatwereleftthem。
Agebringsotherobviouschangesbesidesthelossofactivepower。
Thesensibilitiesarelesskeen,theintelligenceislesslively,aswemightexpectundertheinfluenceofthatnarcoticwhichNatureadministers。Butthereisanothereffectofher\"blackdrop\"whichisnotsocommonlyrecognized。Oldageislikeanopium—dream。
Nothingseemsrealexceptwhatisunreal。Iamsurethatthepicturespaintedbytheimagination,——thefadedfrescosonthewallsofmemory,——comeoutinclearerandbrightercolorsthanbelongedtothemmanyyearsearlier。Naturehasherspecialfavorsforherchildrenofeveryage,andthisisonewhichshereservesforoursecondchildhood。
Nomancanreachanadvancedagewithoutthinkingofthatgreatchangetowhich,inthecourseofnature,hemustbesonear。Ithasbeenremarkedthatthesternerbeliefsofrigidtheologiansareapttosoftenintheirlateryears。Allreflectingpersons,eventhosewhosemindshavebeenhalfpalsiedbythedeadlydogmaswhichhavedonealltheycouldtodisorganizetheirthinkingpowers,——allreflectingpersons,Isay,mustrecognize,inlookingbackoveralonglife,howlargelytheircreeds,theircourseoflife,theirwisdomandunwisdom,theirwholecharacters,wereshapedbytheconditionswhichsurroundedthem。LittlechildrentheycamefromthehandsoftheFatherofall;littlechildrenintheirhelplessness,theirignorance,theyaregoingbacktoHim。Theycannothelpfeelingthattheyaretobetransferredfromtherudeembraceoftheboisterouselementstoarmsthatwillreceivethemtenderly。Poorplanetaryfoundlings,theyhaveknownhardtreatmentatthehandsofthebruteforcesofnature,fromthecontrolofwhichtheyaresoontobesetfree。Therearesomeoldpessimists,itistrue,whobelievethattheyandafewothersareonaraft,andthattheshipwhichtheyhavequitted,holdingtherestofmankind,isgoingdownwithallonboard。Itisnowonderthatthereshouldbesuchwhenwerememberwhathavebeentheteachingsofthepriesthoodthroughlongseriesofignorantcenturies。EveryagehastoshapetheDivineimageitworshipsoveragain,——thepresentageandourowncountryarebusilyengagedinthetaskatthistime。WeunmakePresidentsandmakenewones。Thisisanapprenticeshipforahighertask。OurdoctrinalteachersareunmakingtheDeityoftheWestminsterCatechismandtryingtomodelanewone,withmoreofmodernhumanityandlessofancientbarbarisminhiscomposition。IfJonathanEdwardshadlivedlongenough,Ihavenodoubthiscreedwouldhavesoftenedintoakindly,humanizedbelief。
Sometwentyorthirtyyearsago,IsaidtoLongfellowthatcertainstatisticaltablesIhadseenwenttoshowthatpoetswerenotalong—livedrace。Hedoubtedwhethertherewasanythingtoprovetheywereparticularlyshort—lived。Soonafterthis,hehandedmealisthehaddrawnup。Icannotlaymyhanduponitatthismoment,butI
rememberthatMetastasiowastheoldestofthemall。Hediedattheageofeighty—four。Ihavehadsometablesmadeout,whichIhaveeveryreasontobelievearecorrectsofarastheygo。Fromthese,itappearsthattwentyEnglishpoetslivedtotheaverageageoffifty—sixyearsandalittleover。TheeightAmericanpoetsonthelistaveragedseventy—threeandahalf,nearly,andtheyarenotalldeadyet。ThelistincludingGreek,Latin,Italian,andGermanpoets,withAmericanandEnglish,gaveanaverageofalittleoversixty—twoyears。Ouryoungpoetsneednotbealarmed。TheycanrememberthatBryantlivedtobeeighty—threeyearsold,thatLongfellowreachedseventy—fiveandHalleckseventy—seven,whileWhittierislivingattheageofnearlyeighty—two。Tennysonisstillwritingateighty,andBrowningreachedtheageofseventy—
seven。
Shallamanwhoinhisyoungerdayshaswrittenpoetry,orwhatpassedforit,continuetoattemptitinhislateryears？Certainly,ifitamusesorinterestshim,noonewouldobjecttohiswritinginverseasmuchashelikes。Whetherheshouldcontinuetowriteforthepublicisanotherquestion。Poetryisagooddealamatterofheart—beats,andthecirculationismorelanguidinthelaterperiodoflife。Thejointsarelesssupple;thearteriesaremoreorless\"ossified。\"Somethinglikethesechangeshastakenplaceinthemind。Ithaslosttheflexibility,theplasticdocility,whichithadinyouthandearlymanhood,whenthegristlehadbutjustbecomehardenedintobone。Itisthenatureofpoetrytowritheitselfalongthroughthetangledgrowthsofthevocabulary,asasnakewindsthroughthegrass,insinuous,complex,andunexpectedcurves,whichcrackeveryjointthatisnotsuppleasindia—rubber。
IhadapoemthatIwantedtoprintjusthere。ButafterwhatIhavethismomentsaid,Ihesitated,thinkingthatImightprovoketheobviousremarkthatIexemplifiedtheunfitnessofwhichIhadbeenspeaking。IrememberedtheadviceIhadgiventoapoeticalaspirantnotlongsince,whichIthinkdeservesaparagraphtoitself。
Myfriend,Isaid,Ihopeyouwillnotwriteinverse。Whenyouwriteinproseyousaywhatyoumean。Whenyouwriteinrhymeyousaywhatyoumust。
ShouldIsendthispoemtothepublishers,ornot？
\"Somesaid,\'John,printit;\'otherssaid,\'Notso。\'\"
Ididnotask\"some\"or\"others。\"PerhapsIshouldhavethoughtitbesttokeepmypoemtomyselfandthefewfriendsforwhomitwaswritten。Allatonce,mydaimon——thatotherMeoverwhomIbuttonmywaistcoatwhenIbuttonitovermyownperson——putitintomyheadtolookupthestoryofMadameSaqui。Shewasafamousdanseuse,whodancedNapoleoninandout,andseveralotherdynastiesbesides。Herlastappearancewasattheageofseventy—six,whichisratherlateinlifeforthetightrope,oneofherspecialties。JulesJaninmummifiedherwhenshediedin1866,attheageofeighty。HespicedherupinhiseulogyasifshehadbeenthequeenofamodernPharaoh。Hisfoamyandfloweryrhetoricputmeintosuchastateofgood—naturethatIsaid,Iwillprintmypoem,andletthecriticalGilBlashandleitashedidthearchbishop\'ssermon,orwouldhavedone,ifhehadbeenawriterforthe\"SalamancaWeekly。\"
Itmustbepremisedthataverybeautifullovingcupwaspresentedtomeonmyrecentbirthday,byelevenladiesofmyacquaintance。ThiswasthemostcostlyandnotableofallthemanytributesIreceived,andforwhichindifferentformsIexpressedmygratitude。
TOTHEELEVENLADIES
WHOPRESENTEDMEWITHASILVERLOVINGCUPONTHE
TWENTY—NINTHOFAUGUST,MDCCCLXXXIX。
\"Whogavethiscup？\"ThesecretthouwouldststealItsbrimmingfloodforbidsittoreveal:
Nomortal\'seyeshallreadittillhefirstCooltheredthroatofthirst。
Ifonthegoldenflooronedraughtremain,Trustme,thycarefulsearchwillbeinvain;
NottillthebowlisemptiedshaltthouknowThenamesenrolledbelow。
DeeperthanTruthliesburiedinherwellThosemodestnamesthegravenlettersspellHidefromthesight;but,wait,andthoushaltseeWhothegoodangelsbeWhosebountyglistensinthebeauteousgiftThatfriendlyhandstolovinglipsshalllift:
Turnthefairgobletwhenitsfloorisdry,Theirnamesshallmeetthineeye。
CountthoutheirnumberonthebeadsofHeaven,Alas！theclusteredPleiadsarebutseven;
Nay,theninesisterMusesaretoofew,——
TheGracesmustaddtwo。
\"Forwhomthisgift？\"ForonewhoalltoolongClingstohisboughamongthegrovesofsong;
Autumn\'slastleaf,thatspreadsitsfadedwingTogreetasecondspring。
Dearfriends,kindfriends,whate\'erthecupmayhold,Bathingitsburnisheddepths,willchangetogoldItslastbrightdropletthirstyMaenadsdrain,Itsfragrancewillremain。
Betterlove\'sperfumeintheemptybowlThanwine\'snepenthefortheachingsoulSweeterthansongthateverpoetsung,Itmakesanoldheartyoung！
III
Afterthereadingofthepaperwhichwasreportedintheprecedingnumberofthisrecord,thecompanyfellintotalkuponthesubjectwithwhichitdealt。
TheMistress。\"Icouldhavewishedyouhadsaidmoreaboutthereligiousattitudeofoldageassuch。Surelythethoughtsofagedpersonsmustbeverymuchtakenupwiththequestionofwhatistobecomeofthem。IshouldliketohaveTheDictatorexplainhimselfalittlemorefullyonthispoint。\"
Mydearmadam,Isaid,itisadelicatemattertotalkabout。YourememberMr。Calhoun\'sresponsetotheadvancesofanover—zealousyoungclergymanwhowishedtoexaminehimastohisoutfitforthelongjourney。IthinktherelationsbetweenmanandhisMakergrowmoreintimate,moreconfidential,ifImaysayso,withadvancingyears。Theoldmanislessdisposedtoargueaboutspecialmattersofbelief,andmorereadytosympathizewithspirituallymindedpersonswithoutanxiousquestioningastothefoldtowhichtheybelong。Thatkindlyjudgmentwhichheexerciseswithregardtoothershewill,naturallyenough,applytohimself。ThecaressingtoneinwhichtheEmperorHadrianaddresseshissoulisverymuchlikethatofanoldpersontalkingwithagrandchildorsomeotherpet:
\"Animula,vagula,blandula,Hospescomesquecorporis。\"
\"Dearlittle,flitting,pleasingsprite,Thebody\'scomradeanditsguest。\"
HowlikethelanguageofCatullustoLesbia\'ssparrow！
Moreandmoretheoldmanfindshispleasuresinmemory,asthepresentbecomesunrealanddreamlike,andthevistaofhisearthlyfuturenarrowsandclosesinuponhim。Atlast,ifhelivelongenough,lifecomestobelittlemorethanagentleandpeacefuldeliriumofpleasingrecollections。Tosay,asDantesays,thatthereisnogreatergriefthantorememberpasthappinessinthehourofmiseryisnotgivingthewholetruth。Inthemidstofthemisery,asmanywouldcallit,ofextremeoldage,thereisoftenadivineconsolationinrecallingthehappymomentsanddaysandyearsoftimeslongpast。Sobeautifularethevisionsofbygonedelightthatonecouldhardlywishthemtobecomereal,lesttheyshouldlosetheirineffablecharm。Icanalmostconceiveofadozinganddreamycentenariansayingtooneheloves,\"Go,darling,go！Spreadyourwingsandleaveme。Soshallyouenterthatworldofmemorywhereallislovely。Ishallnothearthesoundofyourfootstepsanymore,butyouwillfloatbeforeme,anaerialpresence。Ishallnothearanywordfromyourlips,butIshallhaveadeepersenseofyournearnesstomethanspeechcangive。Ishallfeel,inmystillsolitude,astheAncientMarinerfeltwhentheseraphbandgatheredbeforehim:
\"\'NovoicedidtheyimpartNovoice;butoh！thesilencesankLikemusiconmyheart。\'\"
Isaidthatthelenientwayinwhichtheoldlookatthefailingsofothersnaturallyleadsthemtojudgethemselvesmorecharitably。
Theyfindanapologyfortheirshort—comingsandwrong—doingsinanotherconsideration。Theyknowverywellthattheyarenotthesamepersonsasthemiddle—agedindividuals,theyoungmen,theboys,thechildren,thatboretheirnames,andwhoseliveswerecontinuouswiththeirs。Hereisanoldmanwhocanrememberthefirsttimehewasallowedtogoshooting。Whataremorselessyoungdestroyerhewas,tobesure！Whereverhesawafeather,whereverapoorlittlesquirrelshowedhisbushytail,bang！wenttheold\"king\'sarm,\"andthefeathersorthefurweresetflyinglikesomuchchaff。Nowthatsameoldman,——themortalthatwascalledbyhisnameandhaspassedforthesamepersonforsomescoresofyears,——isconsideredabsurdlysentimentalbykind—heartedwomen,becauseheopensthefly—trapandsetsallitscaptivesfree,——out—of—doors,ofcourse,butthedearsoulsallinsisting,meanwhile,thattheflieswill,everyoneofthem,bebackagaininthehousebeforethedayisover。Doyousupposethatvenerablesinnerexpectstoberigorouslycalledtoaccountforthewantoffeelingheshowedinthoseearlyyears,whentheinstinctofdestruction,derivedfromhisforest—roamingancestors,ledhimtoactswhichhenowlooksuponwithpainandaversion？
\"Senex\"hasseenthreegenerationsgrowup,thesonrepeatingthevirtuesandthefailingsofthefather,thegrandsonshowingthesamecharacteristicsasthefatherandgrandfather。Heknowsthatifsuchorsuchayoungfellowhadlivedtothenextstageoflifehewouldveryprobablyhavecaughtupwithhismother\'svirtues,which,likeagraftofalatefruitonanearlyappleorpeartree,donotripeninherchildrenuntillateintheseason。Hehasseenthesuccessiveripeningofonequalityafteranotherontheboughsofhisownlife,andhefindsithardtocondemnhimselfforfaultswhichonlyneededtimetofalloffandbesucceededbybetterfruitage。Icannothelpthinkingthattherecordingangelnotonlydropsatearuponmanyahumanfailing,whichblotsitoutforever,butthathehandsmanyanoldrecord—booktotheimpthatdoeshisbidding,andordershimtothrowthatintothefireinsteadofthesinnerforwhomthelittlewretchhadkindledit。
\"Andpitchedhiminafterit,Ihope,\"saidNumberSeven,whoisinsomepointsasmuchofanoptimistasanyoneamongus,inspiteofthesquintinhisbrain,——orinvirtueofit,ifyouchoosetohaveitso。
\"IlikeWordsworth\'s\'Matthew,\'\"saidNumberFive,\"aswellasanypictureofoldageIremember。\"
\"Canyourepeatittous？\"askedoneofTheTeacups。
\"Icanrecalltwoversesofit,\"saidNumberFive,andsherecitedthetwofollowingones。NumberFivehasaverysweetvoice。Themomentshespeaksallthefacesturntowardher。Idon\'tknowwhatitssecretis,butitisavoicethatmakesfriendsofeverybody。
\"\'ThesighswhichMatthewheavedweresighsOfonetiredoutwithfunandmadness;
ThetearswhichcametoMatthew\'seyesWeretearsoflight,thedewofgladness。
\"\'Yet,sometimes,whenthesecretcupOfstillandseriousthoughtwentround,Itseemedasifhedrankitup,Hefeltwithspiritsoprofound:\'
\"ThiswasthewayinwhichWordsworthpaidhistributetoa\"\'SoulofGod\'sbestearthlymould。\'\"
Thesweetvoiceleftatrance—likesilenceafterit,whichmayhavelastedtwentyheart—beats。ThenIsaid,Weallthankyouforyourcharmingquotation。Howmuchmorewholesomeapictureofhumanitythansuchstuffastheauthorofthe\"NightThoughts\"hasleftus:
\"Heaven\'sSovereignsavesallbeingsbutHimselfThathideoussight,anakedhumanheart。\"
Ortheauthorof\"DonJuan,\"tellingustolookinto\"Man\'sheart,andviewthehellthat\'sthere！\"
IhopeIamquotingcorrectly,butIammoreofascholarinWordsworththaninByron。WasParsonYoung\'sownheartsuchahideousspectacletohimself？
Ifitwas,hehadbetterhavestrippedoffhissurplice。No,——itwasnothingbutthecantofhiscalling。InByronitwasamood,andhemighthavesaidjusttheoppositethingthenextday,ashedidinhistwodescriptionsoftheVenusde\'Medici。ThatpictureofoldMatthewabidesinthememory,andmakesonethinkbetterofhiskind。
Whatnoblertaskshasthepoetthantoexalttheideaofmanhood,andtomaketheworldweliveinmorebeautiful？
Wehavetwoorthreeyoungpeoplewithuswhostandafairchanceoffurnishingustheelementwithoutwhichlifeandtea—tablesalikearewantingininterest。Weareall,ofcourse,watchingthem,andcurioustoknowwhetherwearetohavearomanceornot。Hereisoneofthem;otherswillshowthemselvespresently。
IcannotsayjusthowoldtheTutoris,butIdonotdetectagrayhairinhishead。Mysightisnotsogoodasitwas,however,andhemayhaveturnedthesharpcornerofthirty,andevenhaveleftitayearortwobehindhim。Moreprobablyheisstillinthetwenties,——saytwenty—eightortwenty—nine。Heseemsyoung,atanyrate,excitable,enthusiastic,imaginative,butatthesametimereserved。
Iamafraidthatheisapoet。WhenIsay\"Iamafraid,\"youwonderwhatImeanbytheexpression。Imaytakeanotheropportunitytoexplainandjustifyit;IwillonlysaynowthatIconsidertheMusethemostdangerousofsirenstoayoungmanwhohashiswaytomakeintheworld。Nowthisyoungman,theTutor,has,Ibelieve,afuturebeforehim。Hewasbornforaphilosopher,——soIreadhishoroscope,——buthehasagreatlikingforpoetryandcanwritewellinverse。Wehavehadanumberofpoemsofferedforourentertainment,whichIhavecommonlybeenrequestedtoread。Therehasbeensomelittlemysteryabouttheirauthorship,butitisevidentthattheyarenotallfromthesamehand。Poetryisascontagiousasmeasles,andifasinglecaseofitbreakoutinanysocialcircle,orinaschool,therearecertaintobeanumberofsimilarcases,someslight,someserious,andnowandthenonesomalignantthatthesubjectofitshouldbeputonasparedietofstationery,sayfromtwotothreepenfulsofinkandahalfsheetofnotepaperperdiem。Ifanyofourpoeticalcontributionsarepresentable,thereadershallhaveachancetoseethem。
Itmustbeunderstoodthatourcompanyisnotinvariablymadeupofthesamepersons。TheMistress,aswecallher,isexpectedtobealwaysinherplace。Imakeitaruletobepresent。TheProfessorisalmostassuretobeatthetableasIam。WeshouldhardlyknowwhattodowithoutNumberFive。Ittakesagooddealoftacttohandlesuchalittleassemblyasours,whichisarepubliconasmallscale,forallthattheygivemethetitleofDictator,andNumberFiveisagreathelpineverysocialemergency。Sheseeswhenadiscussiontendstobecomepersonal,andheadsoffthethreateningantagonists。Sheknowswhenasubjecthasbeenknockingaboutlongenoughanddexterouslyshiftsthetalktoanothertrack。ItistruethatIamtheonemostfrequentlyappealedtoasthehighesttribunalindoubtfulcases,butIoftencaremoreforNumberFive\'sopinionthanIdoformyown。WhoisthisNumberFive,sofascinating,sowise,sofullofknowledge,andsoreadytolearn？Sheissuspectedofbeingtheanonymousauthorofabookwhichproducedasensationwhenpublished,notverylongago,andwhichthosewhoreadareveryapttoreadasecondtime,andtoleaveontheirtablesforfrequentreference。Butwehaveneveraskedher。Idonotthinkshewantstobefamous。Howshecomestobeunmarriedisamysterytome;itmustbethatshehasfoundnobodyworthcaringenoughfor。Iwishshewouldfurnishuswiththeromancewhich,asIsaid,ourtea—tableneedstomakeitinteresting。Perhapsthenew—comerwillmakelovetoher,——Ishouldthinkitpossibleshemightfancyhim。
Andwhoisthenew—comer？HeisaCounsellorandaPolitician。Hasagoodwarrecord。Isaboutforty—fiveyearsold,Iconjecture。Isengagedinagreatlawcasejustnow。Saidtobeveryeloquent。Hasanintellectualhead,andthebearingofonewhohascommandedaregimentorperhapsabrigade。Altogetheranattractiveperson,scholarly,refinedhassomeaccomplishmentsnotsocommonastheymightbeintheclasswecallgentlemen,withanaccentontheword。
ThereisalsoayoungDoctor,waitingforhisbaldspottocome,sothathemaygetintopractice。
Wehavetwoyoungladiesatthetable,——theEnglishgirlreferredtoinaformernumber,andanAmericangirlofaboutherownage。Bothofthemarestudentsinoneofthoseinstitutions——Iamnotsurewhethertheycallitan\"annex\"ornot;butatanyrateoneofthoseschoolswheretheyteachtheincomprehensiblesortofmathematicsandotherbewilderingbranchesofknowledgeabovethecommonlevelofhigh—schooleducation。Theyseemtobegoodfriends,andformaverypleasingpairwhentheywalkinarminarm;nearlyenoughaliketoseemtobelongtogether,differentenoughtoformanagreeablecontrast。
OfcoursewewereboundtohaveaMusicianatourtable,andwehaveonewhosingsadmirably,andaccompanieshimself,oroneormoreofourladies,veryfrequently。
Suchisourcompanywhenthetableisfull。Butsometimesonlyhalfadozen,oritmaybeonlythreeorfour,arepresent。Atothertimeswehaveavisitorortwo,eitherintheplaceofoneofourhabitualnumber,orinadditiontoit。Wehavetheelements,wethink,ofapleasantsocialgathering,——differentsexes,ages,pursuits,andtastes,——allthatisrequiredfora\"symphonyconcert\"
ofconversation。Oneofthecuriousquestionswhichmightwellbeaskedbythosewhohadbeenwithusondifferentoccasionswouldbe,\"Howmanypoetsarethereamongyou？\"Nobodycananswerthisquestion。Itisapointofetiquettewithusnottopressourinquiriesabouttheseanonymouspoemstoosharply,especiallyifanyofthembetraysentimentswhichwouldnotbearroughhandling。
Idon\'tdoubtthatthedifferentpersonalitiesatourtablewillgetmixedupinthereader\'smindifbeisnotparticularlyclear—headed。
Thathappensveryoften,muchoftenerthanallwouldbewillingtoconfess,inreadingnovelsandplays。IamafraidweshouldgetagooddealconfusedeveninreadingourShakespeareifwedidnotlookbacknowandthenatthedramatispersonae。IamsurethatIamveryapttoconfoundthecharactersinamoderatelyinterestingnovel;
indeed,Isuspectthatthewriterisoftennobetteroffthanthereaderinthedrearymiddleofthestory,whenhischaractershaveallmadetheirappearance,andbeforetheyhavereachednearenoughtothedenoumenttohavefixedtheirindividualitybythepositiontheyhavearrivedatinthechainofthenarrative。
MyreadermightbealittlepuzzledwhenhereadthatNumberFivedidorsaidsuchorsuchathing,andask,\"Whomdoyoumeanbythattitle？IamnotquitesurethatIremember。\"JustassociateherwiththatlineofEmerson,\"Whynaturelovesthenumberfive,\"
andthatwillremindyouthatsheisthefavoriteofourtable。