And once I sneered at these grand utterances, just as we continually sneer at shapeless clods upon the road, which, on inspection, turn out to be jewelled bracelets of exceeding price! _Tom._ Nothing more common. It’s the old story. The superficial mind (_all take out books and write_)--the superficial mind looks for cream upon the surface of the milk; but the profound philosopher dives down deep below. (_Aside._) Much more of this and my mind will give way! _Mrs. Eff._ You are a deep thinker, sir. I can fancy Shakespeare to have been such another. _Car._ Shakespeare? Shakespeare never said anything like that! How--how do you do it? _Tom._ I don’t know. It comes. I shut my eyes and it comes. (_All shut their eyes and try._) _Car._ I cannot do it. Ah me! I shall never learn to talk like that. [_MRS. EFFINGHAM rises, goes to BULSTRODE, and leans upon his shoulder._ _Mrs. Eff._ Bulstrode, had you had communion with the Major-General in earlier life, he might have helped to shape your destiny to some nobler end. [_MR. EFFINGHAM crosses behind. CAROLINE and COBB remain in conversation._ _Bul._ No, it might not be. I am fated. Destiny has declared against me. Fettered to the desk of an obscure attorney--forced to imprison my soaring soul within the left-off garments of a father whose figure has but little in common with my own, who can wonder that my life is one protracted misfit? _Mr. Eff._ (_rising_). My boy, sneer not at those clothes. They have been worn for many, many years by a very old, but very upright man. Be proud of them. No sordid thought has ever lurked behind that waistcoat. That hat has never yet been doffed to vicious wealth. Those shoes have never yet walked into the parlours of the sinful. _Mrs. Eff._ (_embracing him_). I am sure of that, Adolphus,--I am very, very sure of that. _Bul._ It may be as you say. I _do_ respect these clothes, but not even a father’s eloquence can gloze over the damning fact that they are second-hand! [_Turns up and exit on to balcony, as MR. and MRS. EFFINGHAM exeunt lovingly._ _Car._ A blessing on him. Is he not benevolent? _Tom._ Yes, he looks so. Why do benevolent people have such long hair? Do they say to themselves, “I am a benevolent person, so I will let my hair grow,” or do they let it grow because they are too benevolent to cut it off? _Car._ There are thousands of such questions that appear at every turn to make us marvel at Nature’s strange decrees. Let us not pry into these dark secrets. Let us rather enquire whether you have any chance of getting anything to do? (_Rises._) _Tom._ No; there’s no opening for major-generals just now. _Car._ And yet how nobly you would lead your troops into action, caracolling at their head on a proud Arabian barb, and rousing them to very frenzy by shouting forth martial songs of your own composition! Oh! it would madden them!