Chapter I
Reading edition
"An English Summer day; old Ponto has been lying in the shade of the great elm at the Rectory Gate, too lazy to make even a vigorous snap at the flies, who are circling with mazy persistency round his great, good-humoured head. At the sound of wheels coming along the road, he pricks up his ears, and moves aside just in time to avoid being run over by the chaise from the Hall." Then the rattle of teacups, and the merry voices of tennis-players are interrupted by the barking of Ponto, and the incident of the tramp, lectured by the Rector, and relieved by Lionel, the philanthropic Atheist.
"'I love the Human, I resent the Divine!' said Lionel, carefully shutting his purse.
"'Why, really,' began the Rector, 'I don't know what I have done to incur your resentment.'
"'Pardon me, Sir,' said Lionel, grimly. 'I am speaking of the Divine with a big D.'
"'We never use a big, big D,' laughed Nettie, gaily shaking her curls.
"'Hush!' said Mabel, raising a warning finger at her little rattle-brain."
After this sally you may give two or three pages of discussion, letting the Rector have a good show with some of the Fathers, while Nettie and Lionel reconstruct things, human and divine, in the gloaming. You may carry your party to town in the season, and tantalise your frivolous readers by taking them just up to the Duchess's door. "Here Lionel and Mr. Crumpetter left the ladies, as they had some important business in hand, promising to return for them at six o'clock. They had to go to an architect's office in Great George Street, to inspect the plans of the new Laundry, which Lionel had persuaded the Earl to erect on the waste ground where he had had his memorable conversation with the tinker."
This plan might advantageously be applied to the fashionable, the military, the sporting, and the adventurous novel. Indeed, most writers seem to think that it has been. Meanwhile, nobody need starve while they can turn their scissors to intelligent use. Yours obediently,
The Retired Clipper.
SKETCH AT A CONCERT.
Variations on the Original Hair.