4 THE STUD. 



a perfect right to please his own taste : no one 

 can dispute this. I should only venture to suggest 

 that, if any one puts himself to trouble and expense 

 in keeping any thing, he may as well select a 

 something good-looking of its kind. Now, whe- 

 ther a man makes choice of a gipsy face, or a 

 blonde, for a chere amie, has nothing to do with 

 good taste ; if he is pleased by a beautiful copper- 

 coloured face, tastefully tattooed, he may still lay 

 claim to even classic taste in foreign beauty ; but 

 what would we say of him who selected a form 

 and face, that, every time it was beheld, the very 

 boys shouted, as they did, by his own confession, 

 at poor Billy Barlow, " there goes a guy." 



If any man be sophist enough to aver that 

 he does not care for what others may think of 

 what he has, he deceives himself: he does care : he 

 may, and in many cases would be right in keeping 

 what he likes, instead of giving it up in deference 

 to the opinion of others : but a feeling of regret 

 will creep in if his favourite is not admired, or 

 thought desirable. We live greatly, and indeed 

 by far too much in many cases, for the " eyes of 

 the world ; " and our vanity, being gratified by 

 the admiration of others, constitutes a greater 

 portion of the satisfaction we derive from possess- 

 ing any thing than we may be tempted to allow 

 even to ourselves. 



It may at first strike the reader that I am guilty 



