Roundabout Papers - Penn State University

Roundabout Papershere below. Ah mercy, what a monster! what crookedhorns! what leering eyes! what a flaming mouth! whatcloven feet, and what a hideous writhing tail! Oh, let usfall down on our knees, repeat our most potent exorcisms,and overcome the brute. Spread your black pinions,fly—fly to the dusky realms of Eblis, and burythyself under the paving-stones of his hall, dark genie!But all thoughts are not so. No—no. There are the pure:there are the kind: there are the gentle. There are sweetunspoken thanks before a fair scene of nature: at asun-setting below a glorious sea: or a moon and a hostof stars shining over it: at a bunch of children playingin the street, or a group of flowers by the hedge-side, ora bird singing there. At a hundred moments or occurrencesof the day good thoughts pass through the mind,let us trust, which never are spoken; prayers are madewhich never are said; and Te Deum is sung withoutchurch, clerk, choristers, parson, or organ. Why, there’smy enemy: who got the place I wanted; who malignedme to the woman I wanted to be well with; who supplantedme in the good graces of my patron. I don’t sayanything about the matter: but, my poor old enemy, inmy secret mind I have movements of as tender charitytowards you, you old scoundrel, as ever I had when wewere boys together at school. You ruffian! do you fancy Iforget that we were fond of each other? We are still. Weshare our toffy; go halves at the tuck-shop; do each other’sexercises; prompt each other with the word in construingor repetition; and tell the most frightful fibs to preventeach other from being found out. We meet eachother in public. Ware a fight! Get them into differentparts of the room! Our friends hustle round us. Capuletand Montague are not more at odds than the houses ofRoundabout and Wrightabout, let us say. It is, “My dearMrs. Buffer, do kindly put yourself in the chair betweenthose two men!” Or, “My dear Wrightabout, will you takethat charming Lady Blancmange down to supper? Sheadores your poems, and gave five shillings for your autographat the fancy fair.” In like manner the peacemakersgather round Roundabout on his part; he is carried to adistant corner, and coaxed out of the way of the enemywith whom he is at feud.142