CHAPTER II. 



THE FURZE-BUSH. 



Nothing venture, nothing have,' is one of the 

 homely sayings against which sentence of ban- 

 ishment has been pronounced from the high places 

 of what we are pleased to call refined society. 

 When I scrawled the adage in my first copy-book, 

 I thought it exceedingly wise ; and reduced it to 

 practice a few evenings afterwards, in a merry 

 holiday party, where the old game of snap-dragon 

 was played. I had rarely borne off a single plum' 

 from the midst of those pale blue flames that ap- 

 peared in my eyes most terrific ; indeed, all my 

 prizes had been made under circumstances that 

 called only the best part of valour into exercise ; 

 for I watched when some more adventurous wight 

 who had boldly seized them, was induced, either 

 by alarm or burned fingers, to let the trophy fall, 

 which I quietly picked up, and conveyed into my 

 mouth. The proverb, however, seemed to have 

 inspired me with somewhat of a more enterpris- 



