er.

He thanked heaven to his wife often, that he had nothing to do with
North American or South American mines and pastures or with South Africa
and, gold and diamonds: and a wife must sometimes listen, mastering her
inward comparisons. Dr. Schlesien had met and meditated on this example
of the island energy. Mr. Inchling was not permitted by his wife to be
much the guest of the Radnor household, because of the frequent meeting
there with Colney Durance; Colney's humour for satire being instantly in
bristle at sight of his representative of English City merchants:
'over whom,' as he wrote of the venerable body, 'the disciplined and
instructed Germans not deviously march; whom acute and adventurous
Americans, with half a cock of the eye in passing, compassionately
outstrip.' He and Dr. Schlesien agreed upon Mr. Inchling. Meantime
the latter gentleman did his part at the tables of the wealthier City
Companies, and retained his appearance of health; he was beginning to
think, upon a calculation of the increased treasures of those Companies
and the country, that we, the Taxpayer, ought not to leave it altogether
to Providence to defend them; notwithstanding the watchful care of us
hitherto shown by our briny Providence, to save us from anxiety and
expense. But there are, he said, 'difficulties'; and the very word
could stop him, as commonly when our difficulty lies in the exercise of
thinking.

Victor's African room, containing large wall-maps of auriferous regions,
was inspected; and another, where clerks were busy over miscellaneous
Continents. Dudley Sowerby hoped he might win the maiden.

He and Victor walked in company Westward. The shop of Boyle and
Luckwort, chemists, was not passed on this occasion. Dudley grieved that
he had to be absent from the next Concert for practise, owing to his
engagement to his mother to go down to the family seat near Tunbridge
Wells. Victor mentioned his relatives, the Duvidney maiden ladies,
residing near the Wells. They measured the distance between Cronidge and
Moorsedge, the two houses, as for half an hour on horseback.

Nesta told her father at home that the pair of them had been observed
confidentially arm in arm, and conversing so profoundly.

'Who, do you think, was the topic?' Victor asked.

She would not chase the little blue butterfly of a guess.

CHAPTER XIX. TREATS OF NATURE AND CIRCUMSTANCE AND THE DISSENSION
BETWEEN THEM AND OF A SATIRIST'S MALIGNITY IN THE D