Charlie looked up as though he had been hit. "The galley--what galley? Good
heavens, don't joke, man! This is serious! You don't know how serious it is!"
Grish Chunder was right. Charlie had tasted the love of woman that kills
remembrance, and the "finest story" in the world would never be written.
* * * * * *
VOLUME IV UNDER THE DEODARS
THE EDUCATION OF OTIS YEERE
I
In the pleasant orchard-closes
"God bless all our gains," say we;
But "May God bless all our losses,"
Better suits with our degree.
--The Lost Bower.
This is the history of a failure; but the woman who failed said that it might
be an instructive tale to put into print for the benefit of the younger
generation. The younger generation does not want instruction, being perfectly
willing to instruct if any one will listen to it. None the less, here begins
the story where every right-minded story should begin, that is to say at
Simla, where all things begin and many come to an evil end.
The mistake was due to a very clever woman making a blunder and not retrieving
it. Men are licensed to stumble, but a clever woman's mistake is outside the
regular course of Nature and Providence; since all good people know that a
woman is the only infallible thing in this world, except Government Paper of
the '70 issue, bearing interest at four and a half per cent.
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