PROFIT AND Loss. 159 



be regretted that people are not more careful to be 

 exact in their instructions ; and, above all, when an 

 error of this kind is committed and pointed out, 

 they should not reply as Weeville was inconsider 

 ate enough to do, when I told him of his omission 

 &quot; Well, I thought you. knew enough for that.&quot; 



This loss, being a mere accident, for which I was 

 clearly no more to blame than if my pocket had 

 been picked in the cars, or I had trod on a nail when 

 surveying my garden and been compelled to pay 

 doctor s bills, is not fairly chargeable to the account 

 of country life. In fact, the loss took place in the 

 city ; for when the pig left the country he was mani 

 festly worth eleven, if not twelve dollars, at market 

 rates, and was even more valuable for home con 

 sumption. The loss was not my fault, nor the pig s 

 fault, and &quot;Weeville says it was not his fault and it 

 certainly was not the fault of country life so I have 

 omitted it altogether from the statement. 



I have been particular to be thus explicit and ex 

 act, and to keep every thing within bounds; for, 

 knowing what numbers will be induced by these 

 pages to follow my example, I wish to give them 

 merely such views and facts as they can implicitly 

 rely upon ; and it is confidently believed that any 

 other professional man can do as well as I did, or 



