152 LADIES ON HORSEBACK. 



them, and the unworthy^ delight of seeing 

 how the victim writhes beneath the torture. 

 There is the snake-like, insidious fault- 

 finding — the worst and most dangerous of 

 all — which invariably commences with the 

 words, '* You know, my dear, I am only 

 telling you for your own good." This species 

 of fault-finding is pecuHar to the female friend, 

 and is invariably served up with an admixture 

 of honey and gall, so skilfully compounded 

 that the very soul of the listener is exercised 

 and deceived. "Her words were smoother 

 than oil, yet were they drawn swords.'' 

 Lastly, there is the genuine, honest, open- 

 hearted, fault-finding, which bears no malice, 

 and is too true to clothe itself with the gar- 

 ment of deceit. By this alone we should 

 be influenced or seek to influence others ; 

 but, for my own part, as I have already said, 

 I have found the world so inordinately 

 self-opinionated and determined not to be 

 advised, that I have long since ceased to offer 

 counsel, and only give it when requested. 

 Long ago, when I first began to write, I was 

 jealous of all interference, and invariably pre- 



