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。