There is &longs;uch a natural curio&longs;ity implanted in
the mind of man, that we cannot be half an hour in
company with a &longs;tranger, before in our own imagination
we form many conjectures concerning his
&longs;ituation in life—what &longs;ort of a di&longs;po&longs;ition he has—
whether he is married or &longs;ingle—and fifty &longs;uch particulars,
which are of no real con&longs;equence to us.—I

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had not been &longs;eated with this old man above ten minutes,
when I had &longs;ettled in my own mind that he
was a par&longs;on, that he had lo&longs;t his wife, and that he
was going to town in order to look out for &longs;ome employment
to &longs;ettle his children in.—Thou ha&longs;t lo&longs;t
thy partner, thought I, looking at him with compassion
who has heightened the plea&longs;ure of thy youth,
&longs;hared with thee the &longs;weets and bitters of life, and
was thy companion in old age.—The bower that &longs;he
planted &longs;o many years &longs;ince; the woodbines that &longs;he
trimmed and guided with her hands, now &longs;hoot wild
and neglected, and that bower which to thee was
once a paradi&longs;e, is now de&longs;olate and gloomy, deprived
of her pre&longs;ence.—What a fancy baggage is this
Madam Fancy, &longs;aid I, recollecting my&longs;elf; &longs;he
has given me a pain at my heart by telling me
a tale which, perhaps, has no foundation.—

Do not complain of Fancy, &longs;aid my fellow
traveller, for how many a heavy hour &longs;he often helps
to di&longs;&longs;ipate, when &longs;he &longs;oars upon the pinions of hope,
and builds fine airy fabrics, extricates us out of difficulties,
and leads us to the &longs;ummit of our wi&longs;hes;
and we are for the moment as happy as tho' in the
real po&longs;&longs;e&longs;&longs;ion of them; and what tho &longs;he &longs;ometimes
does for&longs;ake us, and all the pro&longs;pects vani&longs;h into
air, yet &longs;oon &longs;he returns again, and again is welcomed—
we li&longs;ten to her &longs;iren tale with plea&longs;ure, and &longs;o
wear life away. How often in fancy have I ru&longs;hed
into battle, and with this arm &longs;ent hundreds to eternity—
how often has fancy led me to my &longs;overeign's
feet to receive the reward of my pa&longs;t &longs;ervices.

You are a &longs;oldier, then, &longs;aid, I,—every feature
was animated with the remembrance of former campaigns,
as he replied in the affirmative.

Then by my &longs;oul, &longs;aid I madam Fancy is an arrant
cheat, for &longs;he had repre&longs;ented you as a par&longs;on.

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