r
blessing."

"Don't mind Robert, James. You must take him as you find him, and it
encourages him to go on if you seem to pay attention. All you need is to
give him time--generally a great deal of it, to be sure. When you have
known him twenty years or so as I have, you will understand that he
usually has some tolerably good sense at the bottom of his mind,
underneath a mountain of foolishness; he would say it is like the beer
after he has blown the froth off.--Get to the sense as soon as you can,
dear, for we can't well wait more than a month or two for it: we have to
make our plans."

"I was going to say that you had better leave the engagement unlimited
as to time and say nothing about it, for then you can get tired of one
another at leisure, and part without embarrassment. But if you are in
such indecent haste, and seriously bent on ruin, I will assist you over
the precipice as gently as may be. You will have to compromise, and
humor each other a little. Go abroad for awhile, or to Florida or the
Pacific, till you feel less exclusive; then come back to us. The house
is big enough, and you can make your winter home here: we can't let you
have her on any other terms, Jim. You can enlarge your place when the
weather opens, and put in the spring and fall there: some of us will
come up, or I will anyway, after trout. Perhaps I'll bring Jane: she
wanted to catch some. It would not be safe for Herbert; he is too fond
of bears. If you find the whole summer there too much bliss, as you
will, you can divide with us at Newport. That is fair to all parties,
isn't it?"

"It will do nicely, for a rough sketch at least, and give us time to
think. But there is a more serious difficulty, as you will see. Robert,
he wants to give up his well-considered principles of so many years, and
just for me--however he may deny it. Now I say he was mainly right. Take
Life in the large view, and it is not a grand or beautiful thing. Have
we any right to overlook the misery of millions, because a few of us
like each other and are outwardly comfortable? I will not have him do so
weak a thing as change his standards from no better reason than--well,
that you went up to him for the fall fishing."

"My dear Clarice, if you set up as a Pessimist apostle, you will convert
all the town, and that will never do.--You hear her, Jim? A wise man
sometimes has to take his sentiments from a wiser woman. But seriously,
I am ashamed of you. Having used your