Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-19
BALDWIN'S MISTAKE.
CornhilLl

OF our national institutions "that il.
lustrioas scat OF learning whose
cricket annually awakens SO much inte-
rest IN the minds Of the British public.
There were great many masters there
and speedily became tolerably intimate
with one or two of them. Most Of all
with Baldwin, Mathematical man two
or three years my senior. lilo was
one Of the most amiable, unss-
Stunning men that the world ever
did injustice TO. He had taken
very good degree. and, unlike many OF
his colleagues, had not exhausted all his
brain power in getting it. He was still
telerably diligent student OF 1.-THE hard
grained muses. of the cube and SQUARE"
and was, moreover, very careful and
conscientious teacher. This latter quail
~ he displayed 10 a degree that his
pupils found very disagreeable and many
al hls feilow-teachers thought very ridicu-
lous for Silcombe had a very ancient
foundation and very rch endowments, SO
that zeal IN teaching vas plainly super
iluous. Boys who came there got the
" advantages OF q public-school educa-
ton, among which the learning of any
thing in particular is not generally in
Vluded. But Baldwin expected all bis
pupils to do some work, and couldn't be
induced 10 wink at the ignorance of
even "a leading member Of the eleven.
II was felt that this unnecessary eager
ness 10 impsrt instruction was quite I'M
suited 80 the character Of the place
tended, in fact, 10 degrade il in public
estimation, and 20 lower it to the level
al q private school or an army cram
mer's.
Bat Baldwin was so modest and unas-
Euming, and IN fact in all other respects
was such a good fellow, that this little
popularity was forgiven, and he was
fairly popular with bis colleagues. With
the ladies IN the noiRhborhood-
there were a great many--he bad from
time to time awakened more lively in
forest For no unincumbered bachelor
with fairly good income, and with the
prospect OF "bouso" in the immediate
foreground. could he an object of indii-
ference 70 the matchmaking maminas in
our neiRhborhoOd. There were many
such anxious mothers, and Baldwin, Il
not the ideal husband, seemed admirably
fitted 70 be n sOn.in-lRw. But he escaped
all the snares laid for him, more from in
difference than from circumspection.
Miss Phipps. the greatest flirt for twenty
miles round, made a dead set at him,
end felt confident that she could bring
him 10 her feet But he couldn't any
how he got TO understand the part al
lotted 10 him in this commedietta Of CO.
quctry, and Miss Phipps VAS obliged to
retire, ~ infccfG, as Caesar says. She
avenged herself by many sarcasms on bis
red whiskers. Then Mrs Mcfanshaw
cultivated his acquaintance with great
asslduity. Her daughter Bella, who was
red-halred and much freckled, wouldlike
n study mathematics, and would Mr..
Baldwin be 30 obhgnQ? &c Baldwin
complied with the greatest alacrity, and
MISS McFanshaw hopes were high, but.
alas, she could not manage TO pass the
P0Hsi .fSinOruyu, and after some time
her zeal slackened aud the lessons
ceased. Miss Mcianshaw will remem-
her the definition of right angle and Of
circle 70 the end Of her days, and that,
she sighs TO think, is all the good that
came of those horrid lessons. SO indlf-
ferent was Baldwin TO all varieties OF
feminine fascination that we considered
il quite grand pleasantly and fine
piece Of wit 10 accuse him OF various at
tacbments. "Baldwin's last flame"
"Baldvins final choice" &C., &c, &c,
were the standing dish OF amuse-
ment In our common room. BY and
by the time came when Baldwin
foind these Jokes in bad taste, and said
80 quite seriously. We we're astonished
aud puzzled. Had Miss NcFanshaw,
then, made an impression Was Miss
I. =, l. Ia hah
vior had become somewhat strange, the |
placidity of his demeanor was gone. he
was absent-minded and distracted. !
Twice he came late for his classes, once
he pnt in an unnecessary appearance on
half holiday. Various hypothesis were
anoat to account for this change IL his
conduct. Crash speculation il the Stock |
Exchange. sudden fall in Egyptians"
(Some Of US had dealings With Mr.. Gam
mon, the great outside broker.
" lie is in love"
" 4W insaHN ant fGcH rcrSUS.
Much learning doth make thee mad,
baldwin" said 20 him, ''the geometry |
o. % dimensions is getting too much for !
Won
He looked at me fxedly for some time,
and then said "a letter would 80 10y |
Bnudisi in six weeks
IL was after the long vacation that !
This change in him was remarked. he !
had been TO Switzerland. | had ar
ranged 10 20 with him, and we had made |
out an elaborate skeleton tour. But an |
invitation specially attractive had come /
for me. and had left Baldwin TO go |
alone. He Ind, however, the plan |
which had drawn up--London to Bale,
Bale 10 Zurich, Zurich 80 the Rlgl, !
then 10 Lucerne over the Brunig to In
terlaken. Sc. He bad promised TO buy
me one or two little things at different
points of the route, some Wood-caryng /
at Brienz, some Alpine plants at Ter
matt. and So on, but none OF these
articles were forthcoming. and Bald
win, after some hesitation, admitted
that he had never been to Brienz
or Zermau at all. The tour had not
been carried out. He had got to Bale
and gone from there TO Zurich, and had
crossed the lake Of Xug and gone up
the Rugia from that point, however,
lis account became quite vague and IN
definite. But about a month after the
term had commenced he told me all
about bis holiday aud what had hap
pened in il. He had fallen in love with
n young lady he had met in Switzerland.
He had abandoned his tour 10 be il her
society. and he was SINE he could never
forget her. suppose he was induced to
confde in me from the fact that /,
too, was then thinking a good deal
about an absent lady. 1t was one
evening after dinner that he took me
into his confidence. We had dined to-
ee,her. as We often did. "You ought TO
svmpathize withme, he said; "you know
why you threw over and went to Scot
land. I will tell you all about it. l must
ten some one. Ii was on the Rigi.
saw her first at the table d'h6te. Then
in the morning. when We all got up
Al. 80. eb ,,.u sfap1ipn,