Another Sheaf

in 1947, paused between the Bank and the Stock Exchan

h what seeming energy-in such an at

Stocks are booming. The barometer of joy stands very high. Nothing like it has

and money?" remarked the Angel, letting sm

ve it might take time. I will, however, e

s-looking crowd I have seldom seen. Between every p

s it surprising, for it is not so much the money as the thoug

all," asked the Angel, "wh

will not come-these will be called bankrupts; to the rest it will come, and they will live at Wimblehurst and other islands of the blessed, when they have become so accustomed to

el, raising his eyebrows. "For that,

ut our illusions we might just as well be angels or Frenchmen, who pursue at all events to some extent the sordid reality known as 'le plaisir,' or enjoyment of life. In pursuit of illusion we go on making

ed the Ang

ession of money; but whereas the Patriotic expect to make it through the labour of

" said t

d his dragoman, "but it is

siness best," said th

ces and figures of the population, and I find the joy which the pursuit of illusion brings the

nly very plain,"

om of it broad. His body is short and thick and square; his legs even thicker, and his feet turn out too much; the general effect is almost pyramidal. Again, take this one," and he indicated a gentleman coming down

e corrected?" a

ore than they are aware that it is disproportionate to spend six days out of every seven in a counti

l; "the noise is more deafening th

ever since been obliged to cultivate the art of getting five out of two-and-two. The progress of civilisation has been considerably speeded

e Angel, "if the pressu

dragoman; "entirely superseded by e

jected, with a penetrating look. "Tell me, would you

he caucus, as the saying is. For money is nothing but the power to p

do you?" sai

he feel on our faces of the sun and rain and wind; the scent of the fields and woods; the homely roof, and the comely wife unspoiled by heels, pearls, and powder; the domestic animals at play, wild birds singing, and children brought up to colder water than their fathers. It should have been our business to pursue health till we no longer needed the interior of the chemist's shop, the optician's store, the hairdresser's, the corset-maker's, the thousand and one emporiums which patch and prink us, promoting our fancies an

ke a book," s

le to procure enjoins us to stop this riot, and betake ours

ed stiff in a wee

e acquisitive, competitive, and restless. Consider the baby in the perambulator, absorbed i

metaphor," sa

but skip upon the

motto is: 'Try never to leave things

smile, "the part of a dragoman is rather eve

"when I was here in 1910, I bought some Ma

will be so long as we do not find a way of adapting their discoveries to our very limited digestive powers. The chronic dyspepsia of our civilisation, due to

king his ears; "you really

g telephone call-and what's it all about? A tour in darkness! A rat

hat you have eaten something

that was ever set to lips. Look at those fellows," he went on, "busy as ants fr

look at their wives," and with three strok

n, "busy as ants from ten o'clock in

the Angel sadly. "What are they after,

ere. They have got into these habits and, as you know, it is so much eas

into contact with a lady's hat. "Why do they have t

; the future! The cycle of beauty and eternal hope, and, incidentally, the good of trade. Gr

weets in here, I guess,"