Flint:
His Faults, His Friendships, and
His Fortunes
CHAPTER I
THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS
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| "Say not 'a small event.' Why 'small'? |
| Costs it more pain that this ye call |
| 'A great event' should come to pass |
| Than that? Untwine me from the mass |
| Of deeds which make up life, one deed |
| Power should fall short in, or exceed." |
| The following chapter is an Extract from the Journal of Miss Susan |
| Standish, dated Nepaug, July 1, 189-. |
We are a house-party.
To be sure we find pinned to our cushions on Saturday nights a grayish slip of paper, uncertain of size and ragged of edge, stating with characteristic New England brevity and conciseness the amount of our indebtedness to our hostess; but what of that? The guests in those stately villas whose lights twinkle at us on clear evenings from the point along the coast, have [Pg 2] their scores to settle likewise, and though the account is rendered less regularly, it is settled less easily and for my part, I prefer our Nepaug plan.