"You haven't told us whether it was the brindled cow that chased you," replied the little maiden, with stern dignity, and frowning hard to try and conceal a smile.

"I don't even know the brindled cow by sight," said Mr. Rucklebed; "but I have no objections to being introduced to her. In this case it was a very bright red cow outside the park, and it was I who chased it, not it me."

"The red bull has been chevying Mr. Rucklebed, and driven him into the lake, and that's why his trousers are in such a mess, only he's funky to say so," cried Ernest, swinging himself over the parapet of the bridge, and letting his legs hang close to the water, as the object of his raillery made a sudden dart at him.

"Shall I make an example of him," said Mr. Rucklebed, leaning over the bridge, and shaking his fist playfully in the merry rosy face laughing so joyously up at his own. "Do you fancy being food for fishes, Mr. Wag? That might be worse even than a pair of wet breeches."

"Pitch me in. I don't mind," returned the culprit. "It would be jolly; I should be like Tom in 'The Water-babies;' and there aren't any sharks. But your trousers, Mr. Rucklebed! I like that, I say; that's awfully good. Nothing could be worse for you. If Miss Neeve was to see you now! Oh, my eye! what fun!"

"She might stare-eh?" said Mr. Rucklebed, pinching the rosy cheek, and at the same time looking rather nervously, first round on all sides of him, and then down at the unfortunate trousers.

"Blundel said Miss Neeve was setting her cap at you," said Aggie, "what does she mean? Miss Neeve doesn't wear caps." And pray who may Blundel be?"

"Blundel? Blundel's mamma's maid," said Nell, shortly. "Hem! Her remark smacks of her profession," said Mr. Rucklebed.

"Tell us about you and the cow," said Nelly, in a commanding

tone.

"On my word, there he is, and, as usual, with my youngstersha, ha, ha!" laughed a pleasant voice coming from near by; and presently a tall spare man, walking arm-in-arm with another man, who was not so tall and much stouter, emerged from a neighbouring copse, and the two joined themselves to the group on the bridge.

"By Jove, Rucklebed!" cried the tall, spare man, patting his dapper little human brother on the back, "I shall have to make you a present of my young ones-eh, little woman?" (chucking Nelly under the chin); "that's what it must come to. You can't do without them. How a man like you has lived so long a bachelor is beyond me. Such an obstinate Benedict, and yet with such a passion for children. My dear fellow, I don't understand it."

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than, &c. I like your children, Quaque; they just suit me.'

"So it appears; and they have the pleasure of making you break the tenth commandment twenty times a-day."

"No; you are slightly inaccurate. The commandment tells you you are not to covet your neighbour's wife, nor his cattle; there is no mention of children."

"And pray how do you understand the finish, 'nor anything that is his?'" returned the viscount. "I have you by the hip there, I think. How edifying it will be for us when Benedict does become 'Benedict the married man.' If he has a family, we shall see him wheeling perambulators about in all directions-ch, my lord?"

case.

"Ah, yes, yes, to be sure. I take exactly your view of the Surprises me how you have not married by this time, Rucklebed-surprises me greatly, you so devoted to children,' replied the shorter stouter man, whom I may at once introduce to you as John Langham Tarnicliffe, Earl Boulder, of Ashleigh Manor, Stonebridge, Wessex. He spoke in a quick, abrupt tone, not uncommon with shy, and, at the same time, nervously-excitable men.

"Is there any

chance of some breakfast for a hungry man if I go up to the house?" said Mr. Rucklebed.

66

My dear Benedict, we have not broken our fasts this morning, so that I hope there is a chance for three hungry men," said Viscount Quaque.

"Yes, yes, to be sure, Rucklebed," added Lord Boulder; "breakfast for everybody, and you will have plenty of time if you want to change your trousers. Surprises me to see you, Rucklebed, in such a plight, so particular as you are about your clothes. Can't imagine where you've been this morning; not met with any bad accident, not injured yourself in any way I hope. I was up early about some business connected with the Tan and Hide Company; got a letter from Mr. Treeby, who acts as my agent with the company; a boasting, plebeian man, but very energetic, and a good man of business-a good man of business, decidedly -do not think so, Quaque? Then I felt that a turn before breakfast would put some life into me and clear my brain, and Quaque joined me. But I think, Quaque, we had better be moving on; and Rucklebed, you had better come too, so wet as you are, and we are all hungry alike."

you

"And Boulder is hungering to tell you something, Benedict," said the viscount.

"I must postpone the cow for the present, it seems, my dear young friends," said the dapper man, letting go the girl's hands, and giving Dick a parting swing. "Remind me before lunch, you shall have a circumstantial account."

and

352

PRESTWOOD PAPERS.

BY FRANCIS JACOX.

VI. ABOUT READING THE HEART IN THE FACE: A CUE FROM

SHAKSPEARE.

What of his heart perceive you in his face ?

asks Stanley of Hastings, when the latter, poor dupe, within a few minutes of his being despatched by Gloster to the block, expatiates on the transparent disposition of that crooked prince:

I think there's ne'er a man in Christendom
Can lesser hide his love, or hate, than he;

For by his face straight shall ye know his heart.

As for the query, What of his heart perceive you in his face, by any likelihood he showed to day? Marry, replies Hastings, that he with no man is offended; for, were he, he had shown it in his looks. Indeed, Hastings has particularly noticed that his grace looks cheerfully and smooth this morning, and is sure that some pleasant conceit or other has produced this agreeable complacency and complaisance, "when he doth bid good morrow with such spirit." Good morrow, quotha? Morrow for Hastings there is none. Gloster has worn his mask to some purpose; but he can take it off now, and with his real heart expressed in every line of his real face, can denounce Hastings as a traitor; give the signal, Off with his head; and swear by holy Paul, he will not dine until he has seen that head fresh from the block.

The sometime owner of that head had not been privileged, as we are, to overhear a soliloquy of Richard's in a previous scene; or he might have been less confident in his physiognomical readings:

Why, I can smile, and murder while I smile;

And

cry, content, to that which grieves my heart;

And wet my cheeks with artificial tears,

And frame my face to all occasions.†

Even the dignified Brutus, with all his stoical severity, can, on occasion, enforce this caution on the conspirators:

Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily;
Let not our looks put on our purposes:
But bear it as our Roman actors do,‡

that no man may read their bloody intent in their face. But according to Olivia, in "Twelfth Night," the assassin's face tells all, disguise it as he may :

A murderous guilt shows not itself more soon,
Than love that would seem hid§-

of the scorn she thinks looks so beautiful

King Richard III., Act III. Sc. 4.
Julius Cæsar, Act II. Sc. 1.

upon

Cæsario's lip.

The volto sciolto e pensieri stretti is a maxim in exceeding favour with the Earl of Chesterfield, in his letters to his son. He pronounces a man who does not possess himself enough to hear agreeable or disagreeable things without visible change of countenance, to be at the mercy of every artful knave, or pert coxcomb: "the former will provoke or please you by design, to catch unguarded words or looks, by which he will easily decipher the secrets of your heart, of which you should keep the key yourself, and trust it with no man living. The latter will, by his absurdity, and without intending it, produce the same discoveries, of which other people will avail themselves." So my lord bids his Dear Boy determine to keep his countenance as unmoved and unembarrassed as possible; declaring that for his part, he should desire nothing better than to have to do with one of those men of warm, quick passion, which he would take care to set in motion; by artful provocations extorting rash and unguarded expressions, and watching every alteration in the too plastic and penetrable face. "Volto sciolto con pensieri stretti' is a most useful maxim in business. It is so necessary in some games, such as verlan, quinze, &c., that a man who had not the command of his temper and countenance, would infallibly be undone by those who had, even though they played fair." Now in business, the noble earl takes it, you always have to do with sharpers, to whom at least you should give no unfair advantage.* People unused to the world, he says in another letter, have babbling countenances; and are unskilful enough to show what they have sense enough not to tell. In another, among the necessary talents for negotiation, he places an absolute command over one's temper and countenance, that no heat may provoke one to say, nor any change of expression to betray, what should be a secret.‡ Early among the Maxims of the Earl of Chesterfield figures one to this effect that he who cannot command his countenance may just as well tell his thoughts at once. For by his face he is showing them, and showing is telling.

Besides articulate sounds and the language of signs, we have, says Professor Marsh, another means by which we often, involuntarily and unconsciously, communicate, or rather betray, if not facts, at least the state of our own minds, our thoughts and feelings, prompted by known or supposed facts: this is the spontaneous action of the muscles of the face, and sometimes of the whole frame, when we are excited by powerful emotions, or are specially interested in the topic of a conversation which we hear or take part in. "That much practice may enable any one to control, in a great degree, this involuntary expression is undoubtedly true; but an acute observer of the human face can, in very many cases, read what is passing in the breast of another, in spite of the most strenuous efforts to conceal it." So much more truth-telling indeed than words, it is added, are these self-speaking muscles to those who have studied their dialect, that it is a current adage that language was given us to enable us to conceal our thoughts.§ Nec vultu destrue dicta tua, is a monition of Ovid's. For, as that poet says in another

* Lord Chesterfield's Letters to his Son, May 22, 1749. † Ibid., April 30, 1752.

Ibid., Sept. 26.

§ Appendix, on the Origin of Language, to Lectures on the English Language, by G. P. Marsh.

place, the silent features have frequently an all but articulate expression of their own:

Sæpe tacens vocem verbaque vultus habet.

Dr. Boyd, in his characteristic essay Concerning Veal, asks to be told if it is Vealy to show keen emotion? whether it is a precious result and indication of the maturity of the human mind, to look as if you felt nothing at all? For his part, he professes to have often looked with wonder, and with a moderate amount of veneration, at a few old gentlemen who are leading members of a certain legislative and judicial council; watching them as they sat apparently quite unmoved when discussions were going on in which they felt the deepest interest, and when the tide of debate was setting strongly against their views. "There they sat, impassive as a Red Indian at the stake. I think of a certain man who, while a smart speech on the other side is being made, retains a countenance expressing actually nothing; he looks as if he heard nothing, felt nothing, cared for nothing."* According to Swift, the two maxims of any great man at court are, always to keep his countenance, and never to keep his word.† A Chinaman is accepted in some quarters as facile princeps in the art of commanding one's countenance and in the ars (high art) celare that artem. A Chinaman, says one travelled observer, generally looks most pleased when he has least reason to be so, and "maintains an expression of imperturbable politeness and amiability, when he is secretly regretting devoutly that he cannot bastinado you to death." To apply a stanza by a Royal French poet of the fifteenth century:

Croyez-vous savoir sans douter,
Par un seul regard seulement,
Lui dis-je alors, tout son penser?
Eil qui sourit quelquefois ment.§

Every man, according to Feltham, may be said in some sort to have two souls; one, the internal mind; the other, the outward face, and body's gesture. And how infinitely in some do they differ! he exclaims. "I have known a wise look hide a fool, and a merry face conceal a discontented soul. Every man, if it pleases him, can keep his mind in a labyrinth. The heart of man, to man is inscrutable.”|| Tancred has it,

-I wot the outward show

Is not true witness of the secret thought,

For that some men so subtle are, I trow,

That when they purpose most, appeareth nought.

As Tasso's

Napoleon the First (as well as the Third) has the reputation of having exercised at will a perfect command over his countenance. In this re

spect, as in some others, not unlike Frederick the Great, of whom, as Crown Prince, Mr. Carlyle says that he had to study an art, useful to him in after life: the art of wearing among his fellow-creatures a polite

Leisure Hours in Town, by A. K. H. B., ch. vi., "Concerning Veal: a Discourse of Immaturity."

† Swift's (and Pope's) Thoughts on Various Subjects.
§ Charles d'Orléans.

Oliphant.
Owen Feltham's Resolves: Of Judging Charitably.
Jerusalem Delivered, book v.