I'UETHBIl EXPEEIENOBS OP MR. STALE. 
meet to give him a nod and say, ‘‘It is a fine day,” 
and in this case, should any events turn up,’ in 
matters of business which absolutely require your 
having a little talk with “ that beast of a fellow,” 
you will not feel so awkward in doing so, as if you 
had neither looked at nor spoken to him for a couple 
of months. Depend upon it, it is always a good and 
safe policy to keep on speaking terms with a neigh- 
bour and, if not mutually agreeable, your acquaintance 
need be nothing more. You will likely say, all very 
true, but it takes two to make a bargain, .so also 
are two required to speak and if, when I speak to 
iqm, he takes no notice of me, it is a gross insult, a 
cut direct and very humbling to myself. But not so 
fast, it is not a humiliation to yourself, but to him, 
and if he told the truth, he felt so. After passing 
a man without noticing a well-meant salutation, al- 
though our pride was gratified, yet after a while 
we do not generally feel gratified or satisfied. On the 
other hand when, on saluting a neighbour, who had 
taken the ‘huff,’ ‘pet,’ or ‘dorts,’ as they call it in 
Scotland, and receiving no reply, in spite of us, a 
hearty laugh would burst out at the extreme absurdity 
of the case, which only increased the ire of our friend^ 
but the result would probably be, after he had posed on, 
or slept over it, he would come to the sensible conclusion 
that the quarrel could not be such a very serious one 
after all, or his neighbour would not be laughing at it 
or — could it be ? — at him. So, very probably, next 
day, the kitchen cooly would turn up at your 
bungalow with a letter of four pages, closely written, 
commencing with “Sir,” and ending “Your most 
obedient servant,” the purport of it being a wish to 
know if you regretted having said that he paid 
a penny a bushel on coffee hire per cart more than 
there was any need for. Now for it, be cautious what 
you reply, or the whole district will be roused up 
in a buzz like a wasp's hinlcy and, instead of having one 
enemy, you will have a dozen all down upon you 
like an extinguisher, so that even the very kitchen 
coolies, who are all employed from morning to night 
in running to and fro with letters, will know very 
well that “ the fat is all in the fire,” amongst the 
durais. Never mind telling who told you this bit of 
information : if any one did tell you, just say that you 
had casually heard it, but of course if he denied it 
it must have been a false rumour, that cartmen do 
tell crackers in order to raise hire ; and that it is 
perfectly sufficient for you, to hear from himself that 
your information was merely a false rumour; you had 
intended calling and asking, but had been busy, &c. 
Call as soon as possible after this^ and, take an' old 
