B. C. Smith soon completely dissipated
this chagrin. My friend leaving us immediately, we had quite a long
tete-a-tete, and I was not only pleased but really-instructed. I never
heard a more fluent talker, or a man of greater general information.
With becoming modesty, he forebore, nevertheless, to touch upon the
theme I had just then most at heart- I mean the mysterious
circumstances attending the Bugaboo war- and, on my own part, what I
conceive to be a proper sense of delicacy forbade me to broach the
subject; although, in truth, I was exceedingly tempted to do so. I
perceived, too, that the gallant soldier preferred topics of
philosophical interest, and that he delighted, especially, in
commenting upon the rapid march of mechanical invention. Indeed,
lead him where I would, this was a point to which he invariably came
back.
"There is nothing at all like it," he would say, "we are a wonderful
people, and live in a wonderful age. Parachutes and
rail-roads-mantraps and spring-guns! Our steam-boats are upon every
sea, and the Nassau balloon packet is about to run regular trips (fare
either way only twenty pounds sterling) between London and
Timbuctoo. And who shall calculate the immense influence upon social
life- upon arts- upon commerce- upon literature- which will be the
immediate result of the great principles of electro-magnetics! Nor, is
this all, let me assure you! There is really no end to the march of
invention.
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