FINISHING ADVICE. 451 



to get into a habit of idleness : and, although there 

 are many young people that would pay little atten- 

 tion, and perhaps laugh at me, if I told them that 

 " idleness" was the " root of all evil," yet some, 

 among those very persons, might listen most earnestly, 

 when I remind them, that being nervous or low 

 spirited is of all other things the most likely to 

 put even a crack sportsman off his shooting; or to 

 make a young angler whip off his flies ; or be too 

 eager, and therefore unskilful, in killing his fish. 

 Always, therefore, let him be employed, and think 

 no more of the weather, till his man comes, with a 

 smiling face, and says, " Sir, it will do again now /" 

 when, if he is a man of genius, and has proper re- 

 sources, he could almost have wished for another 

 hour's rain, in order to complete that in which his 

 mind was become absorbed. Supposing the hole in 

 which, for the sake of a fe\v days' good sport, he is 

 immured, contains neither books, nor newspapers ; 

 nor even stationery good enough to write a few letters 

 in comfort (which, by the way, he should always be 

 enabled to do, by carrying a quire of paper, and a 

 box of Bramah's portable pens), still there is no 

 excuse for his being in sheer idleness. The mere 

 pocket will always contain enough to employ suc- 

 cessfully many a leisure hour. If he is studying any 

 thing particular, he may be provided with some little 

 volume, the most useful to his subject. If he draws, 

 he may, at least, make a sketch of the hole he is in, 

 for a laugh when he gets home ; or, if in another 



