A Pessimist in Theory and Practice

er all. He has written me aga

ad stirred and shaken me up more than you knew. Socrates outranks Pyrrho, and I am open to conviction. Possibly I have been too sweeping; I don't wish to dogmatize. It may be that I have lived alone too long, shut up in a narrow space, where l

Some men, now, would keep it to themselves, and preserve their dig

tempts at superior wisdom." "I am glad to know, brother," said Jane, "that your friend is a gentleman, incapable of the base suspicions you would have attributed to him. You did your best to prevent ou

is a creature too bright and good to come to breakfast like other folks; but somehow she has a way of keeping people at a distance, and even of repressing my pleasantries. We call her the Princess: She h

t Hartman down here. Do treat hi

her Juno air. "Why sho

e you wouldn't care for that. But the po

you bring your poor devils into civilized society, and expe

I must own; and when she does, she is not accustomed to be balked of them. As it has turned out, I might as well have let her have her way that time; there

ks to you. Small merit in confes

ll you like, but give him a chance. I give you my word of honor, Clarice, he is a finished gentl

e to prevent his being reclaimed from barbarism. Mabel and Jane can do that, without my aid. To tell you th

rom any meddling of mine. If you will kindly say what you want, and say it slow, so that my limited faculties c

d Mabel. I was in the South all winter, you know, and only returned while you were at

is not acceptable to you: if anything about the house don't suit you, name it and it shall be corrected. You know Jane and Mabel wors

ty indeed. Would you de

d to be in it, and you always will. I may be low in your books, but it does not follow that you are not high

sing of my will. I must be absolutely free and unhampered, to plan and carry out what I see fit. I may possibly be wrong at times;

approach you Siamese fashion. And perhaps I had better come to you to see if my t

st instruct you, though. I shall doubtless do things that appear to you strange, perverse, incompr

hink me capable of pl

unimportant matters. Mabel and Jane may endure your attempts, if they like; but don't try them on me. They would never deceive me for a moment, of course; but

Clarice! woul

cealments, and no criticisms. What I may do you cannot ex

When I see you at those little games of which you are

somehow, I suppose. But you will be carrying your opinions about the house, and introduci

instance, it might confuse the program

very much better for his welfare and y

hat the deuce am I to do? If I mayn't talk to anybody else, can't I come to you wit

. Yes, that will be best. But no concealments, mind. When you think you know anything that affects

y any further commands? You'll have to give me audience about three times a day, you

ep an eye on you. And now do you want an

aves permission to kiss the royal hand. I say, Clarice, you won't be rough on poor Hartman

small credit in breaking him to pieces, as you el

d. You're tired of the regulation article, dancing man and such, that you meet every night: I don't wonder. This is somet

I will go away and never come back. You make me sick of the man's name. If you ever breathe

ame is as sacred to me as Mabel's? Wasn't I to come to you

in company with your sister and under your escort, without being accused of designs on a strange man who

etter. What the d-There, I'm at it again. Clarice, it might improve me if you would mix a little kindness with your corrections; ha

purge your mind of that vile thought, and

st learn to check my confounded tongue, if I am to keep on any terms with the Princess. So I changed my tune, just in time. "Don't go, Clarice. Honestly, I beg your pardon; upon my soul, I do. Your word is all the evidence I want of any fact under heaven, of course. Princess dear, I'v

ing specimen of my 'sect' as she is of hers-not by a long shot. She was exhausted now, and that is how I got a chance to put in all this wisdom just here. I might talk to Mabel for a week, and it would produce no effect: but a little thing upsets the Princess, her organization is so delicate and sensitive. She is all alive and on fire, or else languid and disdainful: she can't take life easily, as people of coarser grain do, like me. Her brain weighs too much and works too hard; that uses her up. I don't doubt she has a heart to match; but it has never yet waked up to any great extent, so far as I have seen or heard. No matter; people will care for you all the same, Beauty, whether you care for them or not. Don't fancy that I am the only one-far from it: but I have the luck to be her adopted brother from infancy, and to have access to her when others have not. She is not always kind-very seldom, in fact, up to date:

loud, but only thought it. Then she

ired me so. O yes, I know you think a good deal o

artman, dear: you

what is to be done with him. I must go upstairs

iring with their nurse. Fortunately there was a long missionary sermon, and a big collection, to which I must send five dollars extra: the occasion

ng her to rec

You'll only prejudice her against him, and spoil any chances he might have.

they are ready to scratch out even my eyes at the thought that I have been rubbing her down the wrong way. No matter: