[Picture: No. 6 page 122] He is well known through the house, and even through the town; and on this account, I feel some hesitation and difficulty in attempting to describe his case. He is a general favourite, and every one meets him, and he meets every one, with a welcome, good-natured smile, and he appears so much pleased to entertain them with some extraordinary ridiculous tale, that a stranger would suppose he talked absurdly, on purpose to amuse him. {123} Notwithstanding all his talk, he is most industrious, and the most useful man in the house; does his work most correctly and systematically; delights in going upon errands amongst his acquaintances in town, always delivering the messages properly; and the moment he has done so, begins with his own strange nonsense, to the great delight of his hearers. His spirits are always even, he has regular exercise, and his good nature is proverbial; nothing vexes him, unless it be, threatening that another shall be employed instead of him, to do the work he has been in the habit of doing for his favourites in the house.—His delight is, night or day, to be of service to others, so that his energies are wholly and regularly expended in being useful, making himself happy, and pleasing all who come near him. OBSERVATION IV. Probably his astonishing correctness in delivering messages, &c., in the midst of so much apparent confusion of mind, may be thus explained:—From the pre-eminence of his good nature, the desire to please still retains some hold over the rest of his faculties, and, perhaps, also over the extreme extravagance of his conversation, which may arise from the same cause. We have only to imagine, that his erroneous tales were, in the first instance, listened to (a fact, this, of injudicious treatment, which is too common,) with seeming assent and delight, until he found, from daily experience, that to please others, he had only to encourage his foolish thoughts, and utter them, and then the habit would insensibly grow upon him, until it became inveterate; and hence is explained another singularity about him,—that in his present manner of talking, it appears as if he were talking absurdly for the very purpose of amusing others. It is now, however, certain, that it would be not only useless, but cruel, to try, by direct means, to prevent it. Yet, though we are not to tease and vex him, by contradiction, or by refusing to listen to his tales; it ought to be remembered, that in this and all other cases, we ought never, on any account, to violate the truth.