ct o't."

"Anyhow, ye'll do your best, Davie? As the minister says, nae man can do
mair than that."

"An' it's a puir best that mine'll be, Jennie, and I'm nae sae sure ye'll
hae ower muckle even o' that. We're a' weak, sinfu' creatures, Jennie,
an' ye'd hae some deefficulty to find a man weaker or mair sinfu' than
mysel'."

"Weel, weel, ye hae a truthfu' tongue, Davie. Mony a lad will mak fine
promises to a puir lassie, only to break 'em an' her heart wi' 'em. Ye
speak me fair, Davie, and I'm thinkin' I'll just tak ye, an' see what
comes o't."

Concerning what did come of it, the story is silent, but one feels that
under no circumstances had the lady any right to complain of her bargain.
Whether she ever did or did not--for women do not invariably order their
tongues according to logic, nor men either for the matter of that--Davie,
himself, must have had the satisfaction of reflecting that all reproaches
were undeserved.

I wish to be equally frank with the reader of this book. I wish here
conscientiously to let forth its shortcomings. I wish no one to read
this book under a misapprehension.

There will be no useful information in this book.

Anyone who should think that with the aid of this book he would be able
to make a tour through Germany and the Black Forest would probably lose
himself before he got to the Nore. That, at all events, would be the
best thing that could happen to him. The farther away from home he got,
the greater only would be his difficulties.

I do not regard the conveyance of useful information as my _forte_. This
belief was not inborn with me; it has been driven home upon me by
experience.

In my early journalistic days, I served upon a paper, the forerunner of
many very popular periodicals of the present day. Our boast was that we
combined instruction with amusement; as to what should be regarded as
affording amusement and what instruction, the reader judged for himself.
We gave advice to people about to marry--long, earnest advice that would,
had they followed it, have made our circle of readers the envy of the
whole married world. We told our subscribers how to make fortunes by
keeping rabbits, giving facts and figures. The thing that must have
surprised them was that we ourselves did not give up journalism and start
rabbit-farming. Often and often have I proved conclusively from
authoritative sources how a man starting a rabbit farm with twelve
selected rabbits and