Australian Tales - Setis

mysterious influence which even minute circumstances sometimes have
on one's whole life,” said Mr. Dovecott, handling the little shoe as
affectionately as if it was a pet bird stuffed. “Look at that fracture in the
upper leather, sir; and reflect that to that lucky little hole I owe the
possession of one of the best wives in the world! for it is clear to me that
if the shoe had not leaked it would not have sunk, and Nanny would have
recovered it without my aid, and would perhaps have gone home singing,
instead of standing by the brook crying, for me first to pity her, then to
love her, afterwards to marry her, and after living forty years with her, to
love her forty times better than ever! Ods, bobs! talk about love stories!
where did you hear one to equal mine? Why there is romance enough in
it to make a book twice as big as ‘Robinson Crusoe.’ ”