Year: 1865

Let us take mot at home for our first
example of how far it is possible TO tell
the exact truth; and remember, if we
may not have disguises i'll one thing neith-
er may we have them in another, and if
one phrase is not allowed as mystical
kind of domino neither must be another.


Suppose, then, instead of these three
words expressing all they do and just
what you desire they should express-out
of the house, engaged, indisposed TO re-
ceive visitors generally, or indisposed to
receive that special visitor in particuar-
at any rate six foot bar put between
you and the street door which not the
most pushing can very well force open,
you were Obliged to tell the exact truth,
and tell it too by Mary Maids lips. ooh
sir, mssis is having her new wig tried
on, and please she cant see you


please, ma'am, missis is at home, but
she says as how you are so unpleasant to
her she can't abcar TO see you, and you
do so run on about yourself, and you
have such bonnet as to give her the
iaundlcc to look at


Yes, sir, master aid missis is both at
home, but masters in the dining-room
blowing up missis awful, and mssiss eyes
they are as red as red, and she'd rather
you did not see her look such fright


Yes, sir, they're all at home, but
there's young Mr.. Sparrowhawk in the
drawing-room along with Miss Emily he
Is, and they are looking out for him to
say something like gentlemen to-day,
for they've all slnked down stairs and
left them alone"


These are only few of the possible
features ola perfectly unveiled and hon
est truth; aud pretending possibilities
they are lovely features, certainly, to
have handed round to all the gossips of
your set! Duns; it may be bailifis q
have known such things happen before
now j poor relations whom you love and
value and Of whose sensitive pride you
are tendcrly careful, but whose gowns
and bonnets are Enthusiastically shabby and
your visitors a purse proud couple who
will weigh them only according to the
money worth of their appearance; wash
ing day and everything pervaded by a
smell Of soap and steam and soda; your
teeth at the dentist's--no one suspecting
they are ''denti-ts triumphis" at all ; the
off day Of the hair dyeing, when you are
a mixture Of purple and grey; Christmas
bills and papa IN state OF fury and elicr-
vescence a case OF mild scarlet fever in
the nursery, and you anxious to conceal
the fact yet not subject any one 10 dan
ger; we can imagine hundreds of instan-
ceS IN which no one would like to tell the
naked truth, and where the naked truth
would be quite unnecessary, and indeed
do more harm than good. Yet my friends
and ccmbatarts used to grayely assert
| that not at home was an untruth utterly
inadmissablc, and that engaged was the
nearest approach to subterluge possible
TO be allowed


Engaged I wonder how many people
would take that for and answer Some
Of course would the well-brcd and the
formal and the timid and the reluctant
they would all murmur the polite phrase
proper TO the occasion, and drop their
card iato the servants hand with the
stereotyped unmeaning smile, and the
stereotypcd unmeaning regret; but there
are dozens OF our robuster acquaintance
who wolld constitute themselves excep-
lions on the spot, saving complacenty,
oh, | am sure she will see me .r'





that it's only me, Mrs Smith of Gambler
well, and I'm sure she'll see me, if only
for Il hafa minute


Engaged, is he p! then 90 AMI say to
him, will you that shall not keep him
long my blrsines is very pressing, and
indeed ! must sec Mm'-(his business be-
ing only boring hour Of personal gossip,
perfectly uniuteresting and Of no Good to
TO heaven or humanity;) and SO on with
the remainder Of the dozens. And then
where would you be ? answer me that,
Impracticablc9 where would you and
your engagements be, when assaulted by
your robust and forced TO stand and de-
liver or show f.ht and come TO blows ?
Oh, poor deluded moralists, who stand
out for the plain truth unmasked and in
tact, and will not have so much as rag
of lace-work signilying nothing but a
polite screen between you and the outside
world, is it truth, think you, this high
handed refusal to acknowledge that which
is !-is il quite according to your own
rules to range yourselves on the side of
the impossible, pretending that this, and
this alone, shall be the law of your life
is there no want Of inward canlor,
which may be of more spiritual impor-
tance than mere verbal accuracy, in this
pretended assumption OF virtue unattain-
able, and untenable if attained l-ihis
passionate declaring yourselves to be vo-
taries Of one God when you are bringing
garlands and offerings to the shrine Of
anotherl That tptoe attitude of strain
ed moral assumption is greater loss Of
truth, to my mind, than bidding yonr
servant say Not at Home when you are
in the drawing room, comfortably Or un-
comfortably engaged in your. own bust
ness, and in1sposed to admit the outside
world !or twerly-four honrs to come
But then may be singular in my meas
urement Of respective values think
am right.


What would the world he Ike if we
all spoke out our thoughts We would