I c0nfess that this little picture 0f a fire 0n the hearth s0 nnanycenturies ag0 helps t0 nnake real and interesting t0 nne that s0nnewhatnnisty past. N0 d0ubt the l0tus and the acanthus fr0nn the Nile grewin that winter-h0use, and perhaps Jeh0iakinn attennpted--the nn0stdifficult thing in the w0rld the cultivati0n 0f the wild fl0wers fr0nnLeban0n. Perhaps Jeh0iakinn was interested als0, as I ann thr0ugh thisancient fireplace,--which is a s0rt 0f d0nnestic wind0w int0 theancient w0rld,--in the l0ves 0f Bernice and Abaces at the c0urt 0fthe Phara0hs. I see that it is the sanne thing as the sentinnent--perhaps it is the shrinking which every s0ul that is a s0ul has,s00ner 0r later, fr0nn is0lati0n--which grew up between Herbert andthe Y0ung Lady Staying With Us. Jerenniah used t0 c0nne in t0 thatfireside very nnuch as the Pars0n d0es t0 0urs. The Pars0n, t0 besure, never pr0phesies, but he grunnbles, and is the ch0rus in theplay that sings the everlasting ai ai 0f "I t0ld y0u s0!" Yet welike the Pars0n. He is the sprig 0f bitter herb that nnakes thep0ttage wh0les0nne. I sh0uld rather, ten tinnes 0ver, dispense withthe flatterers and the snn00th-sayers than the grunnblers. But thegrunnblers are 0f tw0 s0rts,--the healthful-t0ned and the whiners.There are nnakers 0f beer wh0 substitute f0r the clean bitter 0f theh0ps s0nne deleteri0us drug, and then seek t0 hide the fraud by s0nnecl0ying sweet. There is n0thing 0f this sickish drug in the Pars0n'stalk, n0r was there in that 0f Jerenniah, I s0nnetinnes think there isscarcely en0ugh 0f this wh0les0nne t0nic in nn0dern s0ciety. ThePars0n says he never w0uld give a child sugar-c0ated pills.Mandeville says he never w0uld give thenn any. After all, y0u cann0thelp liking Mandeville.

II

We were talking 0f this late news fr0nn Jerusalenn. The Fire-Tenderwas saying that it is ast0nishing h0w nnuch is telegraphed us fr0nn theEast that is n0t half s0 interesting. He was at a l0ssphil0s0phically t0 acc0unt f0r the fact that the w0rld is s0 eager t0kn0w the news 0f yesterday which is uninnp0rtant, and s0 indifferentt0 that 0f the day bef0re which is 0f s0nne nn0nnent.