s been burnt, assail the camp of the SecondBrigade by night. It is a drawn game. They are astounded that the troopsdo not take it in good part.
They, when they fight among themselves, bear little malice, and thecombatants not infrequently make friends over the corpses of theircomrades or suspend operations for a festival or a horse race. At theend of the contest cordial relations are at once re-established. And yetso full of contradictions is their character, that all this is withoutprejudice to what has been written of their family vendettas and privateblood feuds. Their system of ethics, which regards treachery andviolence as virtues rather than vices, has produced a code of honour sostrange and inconsistent, that it is incomprehensible to a logical mind.I have been told that if a white man could grasp it fully, and were tounderstand their mental impulses--if he knew, when it was their honourto stand by him, and when it was their honour to betray him; when theywere bound to protect and when
true one. This noteof regret and of a curious longing for perfection were the chiefmental impressions which I gathered from that new stage of mygrowth--impressions which imparted new principles to my view ofmyself, of men, and of God's world. O good and consoling voice,which in later days, in sorrowful days when my soul yieldedsilently to the sway of life's falseness and depravity, so oftenraised a sudden, bold protest against all iniquity, as well asmercilessly exposed the past, commanded, nay, compelled, me tolove only the pure vista of the present, and promised me all thatwas fair and happy in the future! O good and consoling voice!Surely the day will never come when you are silent?
IV
OUR FAMILY CIRCLE
PAPA was seldom at home that spring. Yet, whenever he was so, heseemed extraordinarily cheerful as he either strummed hisfavourite pieces on the piano or looked roguishly at us and madejokes about us all, not excluding even Mimi. For instance, hewould say that the Tsarevitch hims
ousin of his. We called him uncle, and because we are related on my father's side to nearly all the people in the hamlet they too all called him uncle. He was named 'Alm-Uncle' when he moved up to the Alm."
"But what happened to Tobias?" asked Barbara eagerly.
"Just wait. How can I tell you everything at once?" exclaimed Deta. "Tobias was an apprentice in Mels, and when he was made master, he came home to the village and married my sister Adelheid. They always had been fond of each other and they lived very happily as man and wife. But their joy was short. Two years afterwards, when Tobias was helping to build a house, a beam fell on him and killed him. Adelheid was thrown into a violent fever with grief and fright, and never recovered from it. She had never been strong and had often suffered from queer spells, when we did not know whether she was awake or asleep. Only a few weeks after Tobias's death they buried poor Adelheid.
"People said that heaven had punished the uncle for his misde
culiar difficulties and dangers in it, a long way over and above those which attend all voyages. It must not be supposed that I was afraid to face them; but, in my opinion a man has no manly motive or sustainment in his own breast for facing dangers, unless he has well considered what they are, and is able quietly to say to himself, "None of these perils can now take me by surprise; I shall know what to do for the best in any of them; all the rest lies in the higher and greater hands to which I humbly commit myself." On this principle I have so attentively considered (regarding it as my duty) all the hazards I have ever been able to think of, in the ordinary way of storm, shipwreck, and fire at sea, that I hope I should be prepared to do, in any of those cases, whatever could be done, to save the lives intrusted to my charge.
As I was thoughtful, my good friend proposed that he should leave me to walk there as long as I liked, and that I should dine with him by-and-by at his club in Pall Mall. I accept
ionally in all directions, while plants grow upwards and downwards from a collet only. The food of animals is organic, while that of plants is inorganic; the latter feeding entirely upon the elements of the soil and atmosphere, while the former subsist upon the products of the animal and vegetable kingdoms. The size of the vegetable is in most cases limited only by the duration of existence, as a tree continues to put forth new branches during each period of its life, while the animal, at a certain time of life, attains the average size of its species.
13. One of the most important distinctions between animals and plants, is the different effects of respiration. Animals consume the oxygen of the atmosphere, and give off carbonic acid; while plants take up the carbonic acid, and restore to animals the oxygen, thus affording an admirable example of the principle of compensation in nature.
14. But the decisive distinctions between animals and plants are
p>
The two letters to Mr. Macready, at the end of this year, refer to a farce which Charles Dickens wrote, with an idea that it might be suitable for Covent Garden Theatre, then under Mr. Macready's management.
[Sidenote: Mrs. Charles Dickens.]
GRETA BRIDGE, Thursday, Feb. 1st, 1838.
MY DEAREST KATE,
I am afraid you will receive this later than I could wish, as the mail does not come through this place until two o'clock to-morrow morning. However, I have availed myself of the very first opportunity of writing, so the fault is that mail's, and not this.
We reached Grantham between nine and ten on Thursday night, and found everything prepared for our reception in the very best inn I have ever put up at. It is odd enough that an old lady, who had been outside all day and came in towards dinner time, turned out to be the mistress of a Yorkshire school returning from the holiday stay in London. She was a very queer old lady, and showed us a long letter she was carryin
he Choice ofParis and The Apples of the Hesperides.]
The tree is mentioned in at least three places in the Old Testament,and its fruit in two or three more. Solomon sings, "As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons."And again, "Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples." Thenoblest part of man's noblest feature is named from this fruit, "theapple of the eye."
The apple-tree is also mentioned by Homer and Herodotus. Ulysses sawin the glorious garden of Alcinous "pears and pomegranates andapple-trees bearing beautiful fruit." And according to Homer, appleswere among the fruits which Tantalus could not pluck, the wind everblowing their boughs away from him. Theophrastus knew and describedthe apple-tree as a botanist.
According to the prose Edda, [Footnote: The stories of the earlyScandinavians.] "Iduna keeps in a box the apples which the gods,when they feel old age approaching, have only to taste of to becomeyoung again. It is in this manner that the
en Wazirs; or the History of King Azadbakht and His Son a. Of the Uselessness of Endeavour Against Persistent Ill Fortune aa. Story of the Merchant Who Lost His Luck b. Of Looking To the Ends of Affairs bb. Tale of the Merchant and His Sons c. Of the Advantages of Patience cc. Story of Abu Sabir d. Of the Ill Effects of Impatience dd. Story of Prince Bihzad e. Of the Issues of Good and Evil Actions ee. Story of King Dadbin and His Wazirs f. Of Trust in Allah ff. Story of King Bakhtzaman g. Of Clemency gg. Story of King Bihkard h. Of Envy and Malice hh. Story of Aylan Shah and Abu Tammam i. Of Destiny or That Which Is Written On the Forehead ii. Story of King Ibrahim and His Son j. Of the Appointed Term, Which, if it be Advanced, May Not Be Deferred, and if it be Deferred, May Not Be Advanced jj. Story of King Sulayman Shah and His Niece k. Of the Speedy Relief of Allah kk. Story of the Prisoner and How Allah Gave Him Relief 6. Ja'afar Bin Yahya and Abd Al-Malik Bin Salih the Abbaside 7. Al-Rashid and the Barm
s will fire." And Luffe nodded to one of the younger officers. "Do you see to it, Haslewood."
Haslewood rose and went out from the courtyard with the orderly. He returned in a few minutes, saying that the man had returned to Wafadar Nazim's camp. The six men resumed their meal, and just as they ended it a Pathan glided in white flowing garments into the courtyard and bowed low.
"Huzoor," he said, "His Highness the Khan sends you greeting. God has been very good to him. A son has been born to him this day, and he sends you this present, knowing that you will value it more than all that he has"; and carefully unfolding a napkin, he laid with reverence upon the table a little red cardboard box. The mere look of the box told the six men what the present was even before Luffe lifted the lid. It was a box of fifty gold-tipped cigarettes, and applause greeted their appearance.
"If he could only have a son every day," said Lynes, and in the laugh which followed upon the words Luffe alone did not
s been burnt, assail the camp of the SecondBrigade by night. It is a drawn game. They are astounded that the troopsdo not take it in good part.
They, when they fight among themselves, bear little malice, and thecombatants not infrequently make friends over the corpses of theircomrades or suspend operations for a festival or a horse race. At theend of the contest cordial relations are at once re-established. And yetso full of contradictions is their character, that all this is withoutprejudice to what has been written of their family vendettas and privateblood feuds. Their system of ethics, which regards treachery andviolence as virtues rather than vices, has produced a code of honour sostrange and inconsistent, that it is incomprehensible to a logical mind.I have been told that if a white man could grasp it fully, and were tounderstand their mental impulses--if he knew, when it was their honourto stand by him, and when it was their honour to betray him; when theywere bound to protect and when
true one. This noteof regret and of a curious longing for perfection were the chiefmental impressions which I gathered from that new stage of mygrowth--impressions which imparted new principles to my view ofmyself, of men, and of God's world. O good and consoling voice,which in later days, in sorrowful days when my soul yieldedsilently to the sway of life's falseness and depravity, so oftenraised a sudden, bold protest against all iniquity, as well asmercilessly exposed the past, commanded, nay, compelled, me tolove only the pure vista of the present, and promised me all thatwas fair and happy in the future! O good and consoling voice!Surely the day will never come when you are silent?
IV
OUR FAMILY CIRCLE
PAPA was seldom at home that spring. Yet, whenever he was so, heseemed extraordinarily cheerful as he either strummed hisfavourite pieces on the piano or looked roguishly at us and madejokes about us all, not excluding even Mimi. For instance, hewould say that the Tsarevitch hims
ousin of his. We called him uncle, and because we are related on my father's side to nearly all the people in the hamlet they too all called him uncle. He was named 'Alm-Uncle' when he moved up to the Alm."
"But what happened to Tobias?" asked Barbara eagerly.
"Just wait. How can I tell you everything at once?" exclaimed Deta. "Tobias was an apprentice in Mels, and when he was made master, he came home to the village and married my sister Adelheid. They always had been fond of each other and they lived very happily as man and wife. But their joy was short. Two years afterwards, when Tobias was helping to build a house, a beam fell on him and killed him. Adelheid was thrown into a violent fever with grief and fright, and never recovered from it. She had never been strong and had often suffered from queer spells, when we did not know whether she was awake or asleep. Only a few weeks after Tobias's death they buried poor Adelheid.
"People said that heaven had punished the uncle for his misde
culiar difficulties and dangers in it, a long way over and above those which attend all voyages. It must not be supposed that I was afraid to face them; but, in my opinion a man has no manly motive or sustainment in his own breast for facing dangers, unless he has well considered what they are, and is able quietly to say to himself, "None of these perils can now take me by surprise; I shall know what to do for the best in any of them; all the rest lies in the higher and greater hands to which I humbly commit myself." On this principle I have so attentively considered (regarding it as my duty) all the hazards I have ever been able to think of, in the ordinary way of storm, shipwreck, and fire at sea, that I hope I should be prepared to do, in any of those cases, whatever could be done, to save the lives intrusted to my charge.
As I was thoughtful, my good friend proposed that he should leave me to walk there as long as I liked, and that I should dine with him by-and-by at his club in Pall Mall. I accept
ionally in all directions, while plants grow upwards and downwards from a collet only. The food of animals is organic, while that of plants is inorganic; the latter feeding entirely upon the elements of the soil and atmosphere, while the former subsist upon the products of the animal and vegetable kingdoms. The size of the vegetable is in most cases limited only by the duration of existence, as a tree continues to put forth new branches during each period of its life, while the animal, at a certain time of life, attains the average size of its species.
13. One of the most important distinctions between animals and plants, is the different effects of respiration. Animals consume the oxygen of the atmosphere, and give off carbonic acid; while plants take up the carbonic acid, and restore to animals the oxygen, thus affording an admirable example of the principle of compensation in nature.
14. But the decisive distinctions between animals and plants are
p>
The two letters to Mr. Macready, at the end of this year, refer to a farce which Charles Dickens wrote, with an idea that it might be suitable for Covent Garden Theatre, then under Mr. Macready's management.
[Sidenote: Mrs. Charles Dickens.]
GRETA BRIDGE, Thursday, Feb. 1st, 1838.
MY DEAREST KATE,
I am afraid you will receive this later than I could wish, as the mail does not come through this place until two o'clock to-morrow morning. However, I have availed myself of the very first opportunity of writing, so the fault is that mail's, and not this.
We reached Grantham between nine and ten on Thursday night, and found everything prepared for our reception in the very best inn I have ever put up at. It is odd enough that an old lady, who had been outside all day and came in towards dinner time, turned out to be the mistress of a Yorkshire school returning from the holiday stay in London. She was a very queer old lady, and showed us a long letter she was carryin
he Choice ofParis and The Apples of the Hesperides.]
The tree is mentioned in at least three places in the Old Testament,and its fruit in two or three more. Solomon sings, "As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons."And again, "Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples." Thenoblest part of man's noblest feature is named from this fruit, "theapple of the eye."
The apple-tree is also mentioned by Homer and Herodotus. Ulysses sawin the glorious garden of Alcinous "pears and pomegranates andapple-trees bearing beautiful fruit." And according to Homer, appleswere among the fruits which Tantalus could not pluck, the wind everblowing their boughs away from him. Theophrastus knew and describedthe apple-tree as a botanist.
According to the prose Edda, [Footnote: The stories of the earlyScandinavians.] "Iduna keeps in a box the apples which the gods,when they feel old age approaching, have only to taste of to becomeyoung again. It is in this manner that the
en Wazirs; or the History of King Azadbakht and His Son a. Of the Uselessness of Endeavour Against Persistent Ill Fortune aa. Story of the Merchant Who Lost His Luck b. Of Looking To the Ends of Affairs bb. Tale of the Merchant and His Sons c. Of the Advantages of Patience cc. Story of Abu Sabir d. Of the Ill Effects of Impatience dd. Story of Prince Bihzad e. Of the Issues of Good and Evil Actions ee. Story of King Dadbin and His Wazirs f. Of Trust in Allah ff. Story of King Bakhtzaman g. Of Clemency gg. Story of King Bihkard h. Of Envy and Malice hh. Story of Aylan Shah and Abu Tammam i. Of Destiny or That Which Is Written On the Forehead ii. Story of King Ibrahim and His Son j. Of the Appointed Term, Which, if it be Advanced, May Not Be Deferred, and if it be Deferred, May Not Be Advanced jj. Story of King Sulayman Shah and His Niece k. Of the Speedy Relief of Allah kk. Story of the Prisoner and How Allah Gave Him Relief 6. Ja'afar Bin Yahya and Abd Al-Malik Bin Salih the Abbaside 7. Al-Rashid and the Barm
s will fire." And Luffe nodded to one of the younger officers. "Do you see to it, Haslewood."
Haslewood rose and went out from the courtyard with the orderly. He returned in a few minutes, saying that the man had returned to Wafadar Nazim's camp. The six men resumed their meal, and just as they ended it a Pathan glided in white flowing garments into the courtyard and bowed low.
"Huzoor," he said, "His Highness the Khan sends you greeting. God has been very good to him. A son has been born to him this day, and he sends you this present, knowing that you will value it more than all that he has"; and carefully unfolding a napkin, he laid with reverence upon the table a little red cardboard box. The mere look of the box told the six men what the present was even before Luffe lifted the lid. It was a box of fifty gold-tipped cigarettes, and applause greeted their appearance.
"If he could only have a son every day," said Lynes, and in the laugh which followed upon the words Luffe alone did not