Sense and Sentiment 219 



tliose cobblestones than has any other one factor 

 that can be named. 



The writer well remembers that, very recently, as 

 he was driving a yoimg and headstrong horse past 

 one of the numerous city excavations in New York, 

 he reached a place where there was barely room to 

 pass an approaching hansom cab containing two 

 ladies. When abreast of the vehicle, the young horse 

 gave formal notice that he was about to make a 

 bolt directly toward it ; and to prevent this the writer 

 shifted the bit smartly in his mouth, and, as he 

 failed to respond, struck him twice very sharply 

 with the whip, thereby forcing him to answer his 

 bit, and to escape, by a very narrow margin, a serious 

 accident — as otherwise he would inevitably have 

 landed in the cab, and probably on the laps of the 

 ladies. As the cab passed (by a hairbreadth), one 

 lady leaned out and exclaimed, " Oh, you brute ! 

 You ought to be ashamed of yourself ! " The writer 

 chanced to know who she was and followed her to 

 her house, where he sent in his card and requested 

 an interview. This granted, he explained his action : 



