But
one evening, about this time, Hollins struck upon a variation, the
consequences of which he little foresaw. We had been reading one
of Bulwer's works (the weather was too hot for Psychology), and
came upon this paragraph, or something like it:
"`Ah, Behind the Veil! We see the summer smile of the Earth--
enamelled meadow and limpid stream,--but what hides she in her
sunless heart? Caverns of serpents, or grottoes of priceless gems?
Youth, whose soul sits on thy countenance, thyself wearing no mask,
strive not to lift the masks of others! Be content with what thou
seest; and wait until Time and Experience shall teach thee to find
jealousy behind the sweet smile, and hatred under the honeyed
word!'
"This seemed to us a dark and bitter reflection; but one or another
of us recalled some illustration of human hypocrisy, and the
evidences, by the simple fact of repetition, gradually led to a
division of opinion--Hollins, Shelldrake, and Miss Ringtop on the
dark side, and the rest of us on the bright. The last, however,
contented herself with quoting from her favorite poet, Gamaliel J.
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