Mr. Warner

“ They were all there when she reached the drawing-room. Sibyl and Titus, Fancy and her Mr. Wolf-Saunders, Marion with the latest news from Sprat, who, being in the Soudan, could not dine out with his wife. Sprat had had another boil on his neck, but it had yielded to treatment. ‘Ah, poor fellow,’ said Henry. He seemed to be saying: ‘The price of Empire.’
During dinner Laura looked at her relations. She felt as though she had awoken, unchanged, from a twenty-years slumber, to find them almost unrecognisable. She surveyed them, one after the other. ”

“ Among men of talent there are plebeians as well as patricians; even genius, which is never vulgar, is sometimes unable to hide the vulgarity of the aims and ideas which it clothes with beauty without concealing their essential nature. Mr. Warner was a patrician; the most democratic of men, he was one of the most fastidious in his intellectual companionships and affiliations. ”

“ Among them, facing on the street which bordered the parsonage and church grounds at the back, Matilda could see the brown front of the Academy, where Norton Laval went to school; and trees mingled their green tops with the house roofs everywhere. The sun was going down in the bright western sky, which was still beyond all this, and nothing disagreeable was within sight at all.
"What are you thinking about, Tilly, that you look so hard out of my windows?" the minister asked.
"Nothing, Mr. Richmond. At least—I was thinking, whether you knew Norton. Norton Laval." ”

“ Sophy laughing.
"You'll have to ask every man separately, Sophy," said Mrs. Somers,—"they all have their own ideas about proper things. Mr. Somers thinks milk porridge is the limit."
"Mr. Stoutenburgh," said the doctor, "haven't you owned yourself commanded, ever since your heart gave up its lock and key?"
"Yes indeed," said the Squire earnestly,—"I am so bound up in slavery that I have even forgotten the wish to be free! All my wife's things are proper!"
"O hush!" his wife said laughing, but with a little quick bright witness in her eyes, that was pretty to see. Dr. Harrison smiled. ”

“ This hint is too broad ever to be mistaken; so the sponge and his victim back out.
Mr. Warner is a merchant, and all merchants in plays are the “noblest characters the world can boast,” and very rich. Thus it has happened that Warner has, through a money-agent, one Grub, been enabled to lend, at various times, large sums of money, to Lady Norwold—her ladyship being one of those who, dreading “what will the world say?” is by no means an economist, and prefers “ruin to retrenchment.” ”

“ Do you know, I can't tell whether it is in Arizona or
Wisconsin!" And Mrs. Reverdy laughed at her geographical innocence.
Gertrude "didn't remember."
"He is not so far off as Vancouver, I think," said Mr. Masters.
"No,—O no, not so far as that; but he might just as well. When you get to a certain distance, it don't signify whether it is more or less; you can't get at people, and they can't get at you. You have seemed to be at that distance lately, Basil. What a dreadful name! How came you to be called such a name?"
"Be thankful it is no worse," said the minister gravely. ”

“ The late J. F. Warner was a native of Burlington, Vermont, on the border of Lake Champlain. His parents were poor, and his early advantages were limited. At an early age he became a sort of cabin boy on one of the Lake Champlain steamers. Mr. Warner came to Cleveland in 1833 or 1834, and went into the employ of Wellman, Winch & Co., who then kept a warehouse near the present site of the Erie elevator. Mr. Warner often related to his friends with much glee, a little incident that occurred in connection with his engagement to labor for this firm. ”

“ It will not be surprising to any one who knew the charm of his society in later life to be told that he became at once a favorite with the older man. The latter was advanced in years, he was anxious to retire from active business. Acting under his advice, Warner was induced to come to Philadelphia in 1855 and join him, and to form subsequently a partnership in legal conveyancing with another young man who had been employed in Mr. ”

“ The Countess laughed and a pretty color rose in her cheeks.
"Do you think," she said, "that I expect to spend the remainder of my days reading romances with you?"
And, as Warner turned and mounted the stairs:
"Besides," she added, "there is really nothing more to read in that silly novel."
"Why not?" he inquired, his face expressing candid disappointment.
"Because they have already fallen in love," she explained carelessly. "And the end of such a proceeding is always obvious, Mr. Gray."
She glanced up at the stairs. Warner had disappeared. ”

“ When all has been said, however, it remains true of him, as of so many of the writers whom we read and love and love as we read, that the secret of his charm lay in an agreeable personality. At the end of the analysis, if the work is worth while, there is always a man, and the man is the explanation of the work. This is pre-eminently true of those writers whose charm lies less in distinctively intellectual qualities than in temperament, atmosphere, humor-writers of the quality of Steele, Goldsmith, Lamb, Irving. It is not only, therefore, a pleasure to recall Mr. Warner ”

“ He had turned his eyes from me and had bent them upon the fire, all merriment gone out of his face, too. It was thoroughly grave.
"What are you going to do, Mr. Thorold?" I asked.
"Do you remember a talk we had down on Flirtation Walk one day last summer, when you asked me about possible political movements at the South, and I asked you what you would do?"
"Yes," I said, my heart sinking.
"The time has come," he said, facing round upon me.
"And you—?"
"I shall be on my way to Washington in a few days. Men are wanted now—all the men that have any knowledge to be useful. ”

“ Her composure was very irritating.
“If you thought about it at all, Miss Mavick.”
“That is not like you, Mr. Burnett,” Evelyn replied, looking up suddenly with troubled eyes.
“I didn't mean that,” said Philip, moving uneasily in his chair, “I—so many things have happened. You know a person can be busy and not happy.”
“I know that. I was not always happy,” said the girl, with the air of making a confession. “But I liked to hear from time to time of the success of my friends,” she added, ingenuously. And then, quite inconsequently, “I suppose you have news from Rivervale?” ”

“ He had laid her down among the cushions and loosened her wrapping shawl, and paid a little attention to the fire; and now stood in Dr. Harrison's favourite place, looking at her,—perhaps trying to see whether she looked more like herself down stairs than she had done above. He could not find that she did. Faith felt as if a great cloud had rolled over and rolled off from her; yet in her very happiness she had a great desire to cry; her weakness of body helped that. Her head lay still upon the cushions with fingers pressed upon her brow. She hardly dared look at Mr. Linden ”

“ Henderson laughed aloud now. “But you needn't associate with Hollowell. We men cannot pick our companions in business and politics. It needs all sorts to keep the world going.”
“Then I'd rather let it stop,” Margaret said.
“And sell out at auction?” he cried, with a look of amusement.
“But aren't Mr. Morgan and Mr. Fairchild business men?”
“Yes—of the old-fashioned sort. The fact—is, Margaret, you've got a sort of preserve up in Brandon, and you fancy that the world is divided into sheep and goats. It's a great mistake. There is no such division. ”

“ Blades. "I was there; and he had asked two townsmen—tradesmen; perhaps he had ticks at their shops and wanted to be civil; any way they were very decent people and capital company. They seemed very much at home and not at all disposed to go; and, when they talked about doing so, Warner, like bold Turpin in Sam Weller's song 'perwailed' on them to stop." ”

“ Post 8vo, Half Leather, Uncut Edges and Gilt Top, $1 50.
A powerful picture of modern life in which unscrupulously acquired capital is the chief agent.... Mr. Warner has depicted this phase of society with real power, and there are passages in his work which are a nearer approach to Thackeray than we have had from any American author.—Boston Post.
The vigor and vividness of the tale and its sustained interest are not its only or its chief merits. ”

“ They were daughters of a former rector of the parish, and poor, and asked nobody to help them; which indeed they had no need to ask.
"You seemed to like your afternoon's acquaintance, papa?" said Eleanor.
"He is a fine fellow," said the squire. "He's a fine fellow. Knows something. My dear, he teaches a small school at Wiglands, I hear."
"Does he. I wonder who goes to it," said Mrs. Powle.
"I don't know," said the squire; "but I mean to send Alfred."
"My dear Mr. Powle! to such a school as that? Nobody can go to it but some of the farmers' children around—there is no one else." ”

“ Haint you got a place on board there that you can stow it, without skeerin' the lady?"—
"I'll try to find one!" said Mr. Linden, answering the proposal just as it was meant. "If the lady is scared she shall turn her face the other way."
"She'll turn it which way you say?—" ventured the fisher insinuatingly.
Faith did not seem afraid of the fish, by the way she leaned over the stern of the boat and eyed the up-coming nets which the men were drawing in. ”

“ Hollowell,” she said.
“That's not always an advantage,” retorted Uncle Jerry, seating himself, and depositing his hat beside his chair. “When do you expect your husband, Mrs. Henderson?”
“Tomorrow. But I don't mean to tell him that you are here—not at first.”
“No,” said Carmen; “we women want Mr. Henderson a little while to ourselves.”
“Why, I'm the idlest man in America. I tell Henderson that he ought to take more time for rest. It's no good to drive things. I like quiet.”
“And you get it in Newport?” Margaret asked.
“Well, my wife and children get what they call quiet. ”

“ What do you think?"
"I don't see as one man has much to do with another," said Mr. Deacon lucidly.
"Yes, that will do," said Mr. Linden. "Now Miss Faith—give me that cord if you please, and you shall go after the lynch-pin."
"No," she said pleasantly,—"it'll be done in a minute—I want to finish it."
"When did you get back from York, Squire?" said Mr. Simlins—"and what took you away? I haint heerd yet. I never believed you were gone for good—though folks said it."
"'Taint generally worth while to believe what folks says," replied the Squire. "I've been back three weeks, I guess. ”

“ He is better than she is.”
It was still early, lacked half an hour of midnight, and the night was before them. Some one proposed the Conventional. “Yes,” said Carmen; “all come to our box.” The Van Dams would go, Miss Tavish, the Chesneys; the suggestion was a relief to everybody. Only Mr. Henderson pleaded important papers that must have his attention that night. Edith said that she was too tired, but that her desertion must not break up the party.
“Then you will excuse me also,” said Jack, a little shade of disappointment in his face. ”

“ And I might have told Mr. Falkirk, sir,—but you were nearer by, and—a trifle quicker. So I came. They're to stop at Greenbush for supper. And if some of those young men come out as fit to drive as they went in, it'll be something they never did before.'
'You came back this way,—with the carriage?'
'Yes, Mr. Rollo.'
'How do the horses go?'
'First-rate, sir. Want nothing but using.'
'Who is with you? Dingee or Lewis?'
'Lewis.'
'You are not fit to be up all night, Reo. I will take Lewis, and drop you at Chickaree as we pass.'
'Fit to do anything for my little lady, Mr. Rollo. ”

“ I confesse I have alwayes admyred any noble vertue and prowesse, as well in the Spanniards (as in other nations) : but naturally I have alwayes distrusted and disliked their neighborhoode. I sorted many bookes in my house, to be sent up to me at my goeing to Virginia; amongst them a Bible. They were sent up in a trunk to London, with divers fruite, conserves, and preserves, which I did sett in Mr. Crofts his house in Ratcliff. ”

“ All this was said in a breath, in a rush and hurry, at the moment of taking leave; the luggage was on board, Rupert was looking after it, Mr. St. Leger's elegant figure was just stepping across the gangway; and Mr. Copley kissed and shook hands and was off, with a word to Lawrence as he passed, before Mrs. Copley or Dolly could throw in more than an exclamation of dismay to stop him. Stop him! one might as well stop a gust of wind. Dolly saw he had planned it all; reckoned the minutes, got them off on purpose without himself, and with Mr. St. Leger. And here was Mr. St. Leger to be spoken to ”

“ Aint it a straight question as to whether you'll take an excursion to Mattabeeset?"
"Very straight," said Faith smiling and speaking gently. "And I thought
I gave a straight answer."
"Blessed if I can see which road it took!" said Squire Deacon,—"save and except it didn't seem to be the right one. 'No' 's about as ugly a road as a man can foller. Guess I spoke too late, after all," said the Squire meditatively. "How's your furr'n news, Mr. Linden? Get it regular?"
"Yes—" said Mr. Linden,—"making due allowance for the irregularity of the steamers." ”

“ By nice direction of a maiden's eyes," etc.
"What do you think of that, Miss Derrick?" said the doctor pausing when his turn came. "Do you think a lady's choice ought to be so determined?"
Faith raised her eyes, and answered, "No, sir."
"By what then? You don't trust appearances?"
Faith hesitated.
"I should like to hear how Portia managed," she said, with a little heightened colour. "I never thought much about it."
"What do you think of Portia's gloves, doctor?" said Mr. Linden.
"Hum"—said the doctor. "They are a pattern!—soft as steel, harsh as kid-leather. They fit too, so exquisitely! ”