represents him to be continually permeated by a consciousness of such
tight boots as he ought not to wear, even for the Beloved Object, and of
such readiness to have new cloth coats spoiled, by getting hair-oil on
the left shoulder, as shall yet bring him to a scene of violence with
his distracted tailor. It shows him, likewise, as filled with exciting
doubts of his own relative worth: that is, with self-questionings as to
whether he shall ever be worth enough to buy that cantering imported
saddle horse which he has already promised; to spend every summer in a
private cottage at Newport; to fight off Western divorces, and to pay an
eloquent lawyer a few thousands for getting him clear, on the plea of
insanity, after he shall have shot the Other Young Man with More
Property for wanting his wife to be a Sister to him, again, as she was,
you know, when they were Children Together."

EDWIN, despite the coldness of the season, had perspired freely during
the latter part of the Picture, and sought to disguise his uneasiness at
its beautiful, yet severe truth, by a last push of his extended arm
toward the crackers. Quickly observing this, Mr. DIBBLE also made a
final desperate reach after the same object; so that both old man and
young, while pretending to heed each other's words only, were two-thirds
across the table, with their feet in the air and their chairs poised on
one leg each. At that very moment, by some unhappy chance, while nearly
the whole weight of the two was pressing upon their edge of the board,
Mr. BLADAMS abruptly awoke, and raised his elbows from his edge, to
relieve his arms by stretching. Released from his pressure, the table
flew up upon two legs with remarkable swiftness, and then turned over
upon Mr. DIBBLE and Mr. E. DROOD; bringing the two latter and their
chairs to the floor under a shower of plates and crackers, and resting
invertedly upon their prostrate forms, like some species of
four-pillared monumental temple without a roof.