accompaniment in music to a song. The accompaniment, of course,
has no specific meaning; it says nothing, but it appears to accord
and sympathize with the sense conveyed by the song's words. But
gloomy hills and skies and woods are to desponding views of life
and man, even more than the sympathetic chords, in themselves
meaningless. The gloomy world not merely accords with the desponding
views, but seems somehow to back them. You are conscious of a great
environing Presence standing by and looking on approvingly. From
all points in the horizon a voice, soft and undefined, seems to
whisper to your heart, All true, all too true.

Now, there are human beings who, in the great things they say and
do, seldom fail of having this great, vague backing. There are
others whom the grand current for the most part sets against. It
is part of the great fact of Luck--the indubitable fact that there
are men, women, ships, horses, railway-engines, whole railways,
which are lucky, and others which are unlucky. I do not believe in
the common theory of Luck, but no thoughtful or observant man can
deny the fact of it. And in no fashion does it appear more certainly
than in this, that in the case of some men cross-accidents are always
marring them, and the effect they would fain produce. The system
of things is against them. They are not in every case unsuccessful,
but whatever success they attain is got by brave fighting against
wind and tide. At college they carried off many honours, but no
such luck ever befel them as that some wealthy person should offer
during their days some special medal for essay or examination, which
they would have gained as of course. There was no extra harvest
for them to reap: they could do no more than win all that was to
be won. They go to the bar, and they gradually make their way; but
the day never comes on which their leader is suddenly taken ill,