What circumstance most justifies loss of patience?
The Professor of Scientific Economy replies, a smoky chimney.
⁂ He explains that he is thinking of a bitterly cold day in winter when he wanted to sit in his study, and write a treatise on the Amount of change to be obtained out of a Roman Denarius, B.C. 108. On this occasion his chimney would smoke, and he had to sit with the door and window open. Then the smoke choked him; next, the draught gave him cold; then his fingers became frozen; finally, his feet were like icicles in refrigerating stockings. After standing this for about two hours, he could not help saying. . . . . . .
Evidently a case where the Recording Angel would not even chance a blot.
Happy Thought.—What a mess that book will be in. Perhaps illegible!!
⁂
Miss Adelaide Cherton thinks that to find a wasp inside the only peach on the wall was most provoking.
Byrton's Opinion. Hot coffee over your new cords on a “show-meet” day.
It strikes me that to come on shore after taking a swim in the river, and not to be able to find your clothes, is a circumstance quite justifying loss of patience.
Apropos of this, Chilvern says he recollects a fellow—Smith, a friend of his—bathing, and when he came out he couldn't find his clothes. So, as some people were coming along the bank, Smith retired to the stream, and Chilvern went to search for the habiliments. The fact was, that Smith had gone down with the stream, and his clothes had been consequently left a mile behind.