Yes, humanity is not so debased, but that its good points still excel its bad! Just as you see but one real miser in a fixed proportion of men; so, are there, I believe, quite as small a representative set of absolutely heartless persons. I am certain that the “good Samaritans” outvie the “Levites” in our daily existence—opposed, though my theory may be, to the ruling of the old doggerel, which cautions us that—
“’Tis a very good world to live in,
To spend and to lend, and to give in;
But,
To beg, or to borrow, and to get a man’s own,
’Tis the very worst world that ever was known!”
Look at my present case, for instance. Of course, personal instances are, as a general rule, wrong; but, one cannot very well argue without them—especially when telling a story, and when they come up so opportunely in front of one’s nose, so to speak.
No sooner was it generally known in Saint Canon’s that I was going away, than I met with offers of sympathy and assistance from many that I did not expect. I did not require their aid, yet, the proffer of it could not help being grateful to one’s feelings, all the same.
There was Horner now. You know that I was always in the habit of “chaffing” him, taking a malicious pleasure in so doing, from the reason that he could not “chaff” me back again in return. Well, you wouldn’t have supposed that he bore me any great love or friendship, or felt kindly disposed towards me? But, he did!
About a week after I left the Obstructor General’s Office, he came to me—I assure you, much to my astonishment—offering me his assistance.
“Bai-ey Je-ove! Lorton,” said he, “sawy to he-ah you have left us, you know—ah. Thawght you might be in a hole, you know—ah? And, Bai-ey Je-ove! I say, old fellah,”—he added, almost dropping his drawl in his earnestness,—“if I can help you in any way at all—ah, I should weally be vewy glad—ah!”
The “us,” whom I had “left—ah,” referred, of course, to officialdom; but, it was kind, wasn’t it?
There was old Shuffler, too.
“You ain’t a goin’ to Amerikey, sir, is you?” he asked me just before my departure, meeting me in the street.