1905
Some years ago a book was published under the title of "The Pilgrim's Scrip."It consisted of a selection of original aphorisms by an anonymous gentleman,who in this bashful manner gave a bruised heart to the world.
He made no pretension to novelty. "Our new thoughts have thrilled dead bosoms,"he wrote; by which avowal it may be seen that youth had manifestly gone fromhim, since he had ceased to be jealous of the ancients. There was a half-sighfloating through his pages for those days of intellectual coxcombry, when ideascome to us affecting the embraces of virgins, and swear to us they are oursalone, and no one else have they ever visited: and we believe them.
For an example of his ideas of the sex he said:
"I expect that Woman will be the last thing civilized by Man."
Some excitement was produced in the bosoms of ladies by so monstrous a scorn ofthem.
One adventurous person betook herself to the Heralds' College, and thereascertained that a Griffin between two Wheatsheaves, which stood on thetitle-page of the book, formed the crest of Sir Austin Absworthy BearneFeverel, Baronet, of Raynham Abbey, in a certain Western county folding Thames:a man of wealth and honour, and a somewhat lamentable history.
The outline of the baronet's story was by no means new. He had a wife, and hehad a friend. His marriage was for love; his wife was a beauty; his friend wasa sort of poet. His wife had his whole heart, and his friend all hisconfidence. When he selected Denzil Somers from among his college chums, it wasnot on account of any similarity of disposition between them, but from hisintense worship of genius, which made him overlook the absence of principle inhis associate for the sake of such brilliant promise. Denzil had a smallpatrimony to lead off with, and that he dissipated before he left college;thenceforth he was dependent upon his admirer, with whom he lived, filling anominal post of bailiff to the estates, and launching forth verse of somesatiric and sentimental quality; for being inclined to vice, and occasionally,and in a quiet way, practising it, he was of course a sentimentalist and asatirist, entit