To Messrs. George Bell & Son for the verses taken from C.S. Calverley's
"Fly Leaves."

To Mr. E.V. Lucas, prince of anthologists, for the liberal use I have
made of his "Life of Charles Lamb."

To Mr. G.K. Chesterton, and his publishers, Messrs. Methuen, Mr.
Duckworth, Mr. J.M. Dent, and Mr. John Lane.

To Messrs. Smith, Elder & Co. (_the owners of the copyright_) for
permission to include letters of Thackeray to Mrs. Brookfield.

To Messrs. Gibbings & Co. for my extracts from the admirable translation
of Sainte-Beuve.

And to all authors, living and dead, who have assembled in this place to
entertain the sick and the weary.

H.B.




FOREWORD

"It is worth," said Dr. Johnson, "a thousand pounds a year to have the
habit of looking on the bright side of things."

It is worth more than all money to have the capacity, the power, the