bustling flame above!"

The use of the poker with one's fire is as natural as shaking hands with
a friend. And

Then shine the bars, the cakes in smoke aspire
A sudden glory bursts from all the fire,
The conscious wight rejoicing in the heat,
Rubs the blithe knees and toasts th' alternate feet.

Writing in _The Companion_ in 1828, he remarks:

A man ... may begin with being happy, on the mere strength of the
purity and vivacity of his pulse: children do so; but he must have
derived his constitution from very virtuous, temperate, and happy
parents indeed, and be a great fool to boot, and wanting in the
commonist sympathies of his nature, if he can continue happy, and
yet be a bad man: and then he could not be bad, in the worst sense
of the word, for his defect would excuse him.

Hunt quotes approvingly this from Hannah More:

Since life's best joys consist in peace and ease,
And though but few can serve, yet all may please,
O let th' ungentle spirit learn from hence,
A small unkindness is a great offence.

"Life," says George Moore, "is a perfect gift, and our duty is to enjoy
it; by doing so we can help others to enjoy."

This was Hunt's philosophy.

* * * * * * *

These quotations from his letters, taken from originals in our
collection, are indicative of his view of life:

Do not be alarmed about the emptiness of your purse on Monday. In
the course of the day you will receive some money at all
events--enough to go on with ... Meantime I send you two sixpence
(mighty sum!) which I have in the last corner of my pocket. You
will not despise them, coming with his heart's love, and his best
thanks for your cheerful letters.--Oct. 4, 1829, to Mrs. Hunt at
Epsom.

Heaven seems to afford us consolatory thought, and show to us
almost certain glimpses of happiness, in proportion as we do its
work with cheerfulness:--and what work is more properly the work of
heaven than that of helping one another to bear our burdens and
strengthen our patience?--Letter, Florence, 4 Nov., 1824, to Bebs,
his wife's sister.

He writes Mrs. Hunt, his "Dearest Molly mine," thus cheerfully:

I have got the twenty guineas, and settled with Hyatt; but I felt
so _new_, with my waistcoat pocket full of sovereigns, and it
seemed such a _charge_, that I thought I ha