A WOULD-BE ESTATE PROPRIETOR OF THE 
OLDEN TIME. 
back, even of trying it. You will push on from bad to 
worse, expecting every turn in the road will get you 
out of this state, and again into flowery meadows. On 
you go, reckless, neck or nothing, until a pop and a 
splutter lands you in the slough of despond ; get out 
of that if you can. If you do, lake care of that big 
fellow watching you with a club under his arm, ready 
to push you in again, or finish you off by braining 
you with his club. Take care of “Giant Despair.” 
But the very last thing Mr Diddler would ever think 
contingently possible at this juncture was the road 
to Ruin, Giant Despair and the Slough of Despond. And 
why should he ? If the road to Ruin bounded his 
property, does it not in a manner bound all or most 
properties ; there is no harm in having it as a plain 
boundary, so long as you don’t travel along it: indeed, 
it might rather be advantageou'S to the careful, “Don’t 
cross this : keep out of this road.’’’ The road to Ruin 
is plainly laid down. I see it. Well, if you see it, 
you can keep out of it, if you are wise, for only 
fools will travel on this road knowing it to be 
what it is ; in fact your safety is in seeing it, and, 
knowing it to be there. Go, go ahead with the clearing 
and planting of the land, only give your west boundary 
a wide berth, don’t even fell and clear up to it ; leave 
a good belt of jungle between your new clearing and 
the road to Ruin, and this, while the road is there, and 
yon know it to be there, yon cannot help it, for you 
hear the sighs, groans, shouts for help — the laughter, the 
■cries of delight, the popping of corks, the rattling of 
dice, and what not ; l3ut none of these things wdll 
move you, more than a feeling of pity for the travellers. 
You have not felled up to your boundary ; the road to 
Ruin, although bounding your land, does not touch 
your coffee. In due course of time Mr Diddler 
applied for and obtained leave to visit Ceylon, for the 
benefit f his health ! He might more properly, and 
with more truth, have obtained it “ on urgent 
private affairs” ; and very probably, if he had no 
private affair in prospect at all, he would have used 
this plea, as a plea ; in any ease or under any circum- 
stances, these were the only two pleas on which leave 
was granted, and we believe it was quite understood 
the terms of leave were just meant as two general heads 
to cover any requirement the applicant might be under 
to proceed to any place, either on business, pleasure, 
or general inclination. But we never could see what 
use there was for giving any reason at all. Why should 
one, who is entitled to leave of absence, give the reasons 
why he is going, or where he is going to? Why should 
Mr Diddler have applied for leave of absence to visit 
