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The world is a grave, middle-aged gentleman in this nineteenth century, and would be shocked to see itself with a bit of finery on. So it dresses in black coats and trousers, and black hats, and black boots, and, dear me, it is such a very respectable gentleman to think it could ever have gone gadding about as a troubadour or a knight-errant, dressed in all those fancy colors!
There is another sort of homely happiness, aptly described in the plain words of Bishop NEWTON. He found "the study of sacred and classic authors ill agreed with butchers' and bakers' bills;" and when the prospect of a bishopric opened on him, "more servants, more entertainments, a better table, &c.," it became necessary to look out for "some clever, sensible woman to be his wife, who would lay out his money to the best advantage, and be careful and tender of his health; a friend and companion at all hours, and who would be happier in staying at home than be perpetually gadding abroad."
"I do not object," he added; "I hope I am too just to object to the exercise of their natural inclinations. All I ask from them is discreetness." "Ay," said Adrian, whose discreetness was a marvel. "No gadding about in couples," continued the baronet, "no kissing in public. Such occurrences no boy should witness.
But Peter's social gadding did not end with these bread-and-butter calls. One afternoon in March, he went into the shop of a famous picture-dealer, to look over an exhibition then advertised, and had nearly finished his patient examination of each picture, which always involved quite as much mental gymnastics as aesthetic pleasure to Peter, when he heard a pleasant: "How do you do, Mr. Stirling?"
Meanwhile Assunta, the old servant, glanced at Gianbattista, rolled up her eyes with an air of resignation, and spread out her withered hands for a moment with a gesture of despair, instantly drawing them in again beneath the folds of her grey woollen shawl. "Gadding!" muttered Marzio, as he entered the narrow door from which the dark steps led abruptly upwards. "Gadding always gadding!
Her massiveness was apparently no grief to her; she had fallen into the carelessness which is too often the pitfall of women who, being stout, are content. 'How do, missis? Mr Brindley greeted her, and to his wife, 'How do, missis? But, look here, bright star, this gadding about is all very well, but what about those precious kids of yours? None of 'em dead yet, I hope. 'Don't be silly, Bob.
I wonder why? But, as a financial magnate, he understands things." "Your father always said, Rex, that trade had its cycles fat years and lean years, you know." "Yes. He built up our prosperity by hard work, by spending less than half what he earned, not by living in a town house and gadding about in society. Do you remember, mother, how he used to laugh at your pretty little affectations?
There was very little difficulty about this. 'In the city of Tours, he writes, 'in those middle days of Advent, it appears that rumour, still gadding, was adrift with names almost too high for the writing. One reason of this was that King Henry was in England, not yet come to an agreement with the French King, nor likely to it if what we heard was true, yea, or a tenth part of it.
I can tell you this if I didn't need the money I'd never go inside that school again, or any other!" She was heated. "Dun ye mean to say," he asked, with an ineffable intonation, "that Susan and that there young farmer have gone gadding off to Canada and left you all alone with nothing?" "Of course they haven't," said Helen. "Why, mother is the most generous old thing you can possibly imagine.
This was the only reply she could obtain. She, however, as the bird nestled affectionately in her arms, seemed perfectly satisfied that he would not again go gadding. We had a grand discussion one evening as to the name to be bestowed on our new vessel. Various appellations were suggested.
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