as in those old dreamy
days--and in these of our log-cabin again. But all this could not
last--and at length poor Dennis, my double, overtasked in turn, undid
me.

It was thus it happened. There is an excellent fellow--once a
minister--I will call him Isaacs--who deserves well of the world till
he dies, and after--because he once, in a real exigency, did the right
thing, in the right way, at the right time, as no other man could do
it. In the world's great football match, the ball by chance found him
loitering on the outside of the field; he closed with it, "camped" it,
charged, it home--yes, right through the other side--not disturbed,
not frightened by his own success--and breathless found himself a
great man--as the Great Delta rang applause. But he did not find
himself a rich man; and the football has never come in his way again.
From that moment to this moment he has been of no use, that one can
see, at all. Still, for that great act we speak of Isaacs gratefully
and remember him kindly; and he forges on, hoping to meet the football
somewhere again. In that vague hope, he had arranged a "movement" for
a general organization of the human family into Debating Clubs, County
Societies, State Unions, etc., etc., with a view of inducing all
children to take hold of the handles of their knives and forks,
instead of the metal. Children have bad habits in that way. The
movement, of course, was absurd; but we all did our best to forward,
not it, but him. It came time for the annual county-meeting on this
subject to be held at Naguadavick. Isaacs came round, good fellow! to
arrange for it--got the townhall, got the Governor to preside (the
saint!--he ought to have triplet doubles provided him by law), and
then came to get me to speak. "No," I said, "I would not speak, if ten
Governors presided. I do not believe in the enterprise. If I spoke, it
should be to say children should take hold of the prongs of the forks
and the blades of the knives. I would subscribe ten dollars, but I
would not speak a mill." So poor Isaacs went his way, sadly, to coax
Auchmuty to speak, and Delafield. I went out. Not long after, he came
back, and told Polly that they had promised to speak--the Governor
would speak--and he himself would close with the quarterly report, and
some interesting anecdotes regarding. Miss Biffin's way of handling
her knife and Mr. Nellis's way of footing his fork. "Now if Mr. Ingham
will only come and sit on the platform