The parties presently joined. On the part of Clara was great confusion. Signora Rivolta looked almost angry. Mr. Martindale addressed the young gentleman with great cordiality. Mr. Tippetson, as if with a judgment superior to that generally and justly ascribed to him, discerning and in a moment interpreting the looks of Signora Rivolta, most ingeniously took upon himself all blame, if blame there might be, of the walking with Clara in such social guise of intimacy. Nature has not given to all animals the power of reasoning; but to the greatest number and greatest variety of animals she has given that instinct which may be called extemporaneous reasoning. Exquisitely and curiously accurate is the sagacity of some animals; but reason often blunders and miscalculates. As then nature has given sagacity or instinct when she hath denied reason, so even in the human species, when she has been somewhat penurious in the bestowment of reason, she hath made amends by the addition of no small portion of a species of animal sagacity and shrewdness. Thus it happens that many stupid, ignorant, unreasoning beings called human, do frequently deport themselves with the greatest and aptest propriety in the minuter matters of ordinary life, while men of more mind or higher reasoning powers, being too proud to apply or exercise their reason on the inferior and every-day concerns of life, and not gifted with the instinct which stupid people enjoy, are subject to frequent blunders, awkwardnesses, and perplexities. If, for instance, Horatio Markham, who was a much superior man to Henry Augustus Tippetson, had been thus met in conversation with Clara, and if he had judged from the countenance and manner of Signora Rivolta that the interview was not agreeable to her, he would have blundered and floundered, and have been confused and confounded, and have brought poor Clara into disgrace for encouraging improperly a degree of familiarity with an almost stranger; but very differently did Mr. Tippetson manage. Seeing also that Signora Rivolta was not a person likely to yield to the influence of common-place compliment, and feeling by the natural instinct which he possessed that her powerful mind and keen discernment had already tolerably well penetrated into his character and analysed his soul, he did not attempt to flatter where he knew he must fail. This is another and remarkable quality belonging to instinct, and an advantage which it enjoys above reason; viz. that it never attempts that which it cannot perform, whereas reason often does. Feeling then that it would be in vain to play off his compliments and pay his homage to Signora Rivolta, he gave his attention chiefly to Mr. Martindale, and relinquished the lady as a person to him indifferent: though at the same time he thought, that fond as he was of amusing his leisure hours, and that was every hour that he was awake, with paying unmeaning attentions to young ladies, he