Year: 1867

ingly, though others undoubtedly applied
the words in a complimentary sense.
Practically has its eulogists, but it has
also its ccnsors. There are people who
will find fault with prose because it isn't
poetry; the same sort of people consis-
ten,ly dcnounce practically because of its
deficiency in speculativeness. For it is
a common form Of criticism to condemn
thing not so much for being what it is
as for not being something else that
desiderated something else being, in most
cases, something entirely antipodean and
irrelevant TO tue original and disrelished
thing


If Ned Stone had ever had fault found
with him on tho score that he ,rds practi
cal and that he rt,Snt poetical, he might
have answered with NJ css Aubrey
supposing (and its doubtful case) that
he was informed Of the existence of that
rustic do not know what poetical is 4:
is it honest in deed and word Is it a
true thing" Certainly IN both word and
deed he was himself honest and true
For things that were otherwise he was
quite without sympathy. Indeed lie was
tor the most part without knowledge
concerning them being a simple, straight
forward gentleman, who went his cwn
way, lived his own life, and what it fell
10 his lot TO do, in II curiously sober,
steady, homcly fashion. lie never swerv.
ed 10 the right or lett. 1t did not occur
TO him, apparently, to deviate from Il
compact plan of consistent conduct
lie never seemed to say anything he did
not mean, or to mean anything he did
not say: the while his opcncss had not
about it that element Of offtnsivcncss
which so ch lracterizes the unrcserve of
some people with whom speaking their
minds" as the phrase is, is rather like
cracking bad egg-an operation better
pretermiited than performed.


Ned Stones mind ran pure and clear
as brook. You were OF course at libar.
ty, if such was your humor, to deride it
as beng merely a water brook, after all
-preferrlng a fount of strong claret,
perhaps. Still the former, be it remam-
hered, is available at all times and
dclrctable ever in its own mild way;
whereas the latter is only for occasion Of
frsti,ity nt lnng intervals. no"o" ------.-'.'o
for any rro,racfed no.iUl, nor always
quite clear, and, with all its charms,
capable upon ptovocalion Of giving you
Headache or of throwing you into "a fever.


He was broker in the city-nothing
m ore nor less than that. Whether his
labor and profits had to do with tea and
sugar, or ships, or stock, am not certain.
found it sufficient to know that he was
81 broker of some kind in the city. The
fact conveyed certain idea to my mind.
If had sought to enlarge the idea by
clarifying the fact, | might have found
myself less enlightened than further
confused about the matter, for inquiry,
notice, often bewilders as much us it
instrucis. lie had been very poor at one
time Of his life, and had had to work very
hard. His industry, however, had in the
end met with its due reward Arrived
at middle age, he was very comfortably
circumstanced and lie saw no reason TO
doubt that his prosperity would continue.
When he announced to his friends, there
fore, that he thought of taking TO himself
wife, it was felt generally that the step
he meditated was prudent and proper
one, and only what might under all the
circumstances of the ease have been
reasonably expected. And when he fur
ther stated that he had made an offer Of
his hand to one Miss Georgina Warren,
the daughter Of a wealthy East India
merchant, and that his cffer had been
accepted by the lady, we of course hasten
ell to tender him our hearty congratulations
on the happy occasion. When l say
"we," | must not be understood as EN-
ploying the editorial first person plural by
way of yelling my own Individuality, but
as speaking on behalf of myself and Other
friends of Ned Stones, who were al-t
my friends, and who COZ daily agreed
with me in wishing joy to our friend
upon the proposed important change ii
his life.


Ned Stone spoke of the matter in Iii
own simple, sober way.


swell, you know I'm getting on" h,
said, sand if | am ever going to marry
it's about time should think of settin,
about it. A few years hence it will b.
too late. | shall be settled down then il
a bachelor kind Of life, have adopted
bachelor ways Of looking at things, whicI
| shouldn't be able to alter or get out 0
at any price. A few years ago couldn
have afforded it, TO put the matter plainly
and SO it was out of the question. But


looked forward to getting married when


could afford it and 80 now, when | ca
afford ii, I'm gong to carry out my notion
You're very kind. l think | shall b
happy-in fact I've no doubt about
-as happy as a fellow has any right t
expect to be. One ought not to expec
too much, of course. But I'm fond i
! my way, of this Georgina Warren; an,


| think that she, in her way, is fond q
me. She is not too young, nor too old
not too good looking, nor too plain. She
sensible enough, and accomplished enough
and don't see why she shouldn't max
me a very good kind Of wife; and
similarly, l don't see why shouldn'
make her very good kind of husband.


know I'll do all can to make her happ
f and comfortable, and I've no doubt she'
do the same on her side What is ther
to be said Perhaps I'm not very fon