Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral TalesEdgeworth, Maria
General
Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral Tales
Edgeworth, Maria
Fiction
This lesson strongly impressed, however, upon our hero's mind the
belief, that external appearance, dress, manners, and the company we
keep, are the usual circumstances by which the world judge of character
and conduct. When he was dismissed from Mr. W----'s august presence,
the first thing he did was to inquire for Pasgrave: he was giving the
magistrate's daughters a lesson, and could not be interrupted; but
Forester left a note for him, requesting to see him at ten o'clock the
next day, at Mr. ----, the bookseller's. New mortifications awaited our
hero: on his return to his master's, he was very coldly received; Mr.
---- let him know, in unqualified terms, that he did not like to
employ any one in his work who got into quarrels at night in the public
streets. Forester's former favour with his master, his industry and
talents, were not considered without envy by the rest of the journeymen
printers; and they took advantage of his absence to misrepresent him to
the bookseller: however, when Forester came to relate his own story,
his master was convinced that he was not to blame; that he had worked
extremely hard the preceding day; and that, far from having been
concerned in a riot, he had done every thing in his power to prevent
mischief. He desired to see the essay, which was printed with so much
expedition: it was in the hands of the corrector of the press. The
sheets were sent for, and the bookseller was in admiration at the
extraordinary correctness with which it was printed; the corrector of
the press scarcely had occasion to alter a word, a letter, or a stop.
There was a quotation in the manuscript from Juvenal. Henry Campbell
had, by mistake, omitted to name the satire and line, and the author
from which it was taken, though he had left a blank in which they were
to be inserted. The corrector of the press, though a literary gentleman,
was at a stand. Forester immediately knew where to look for the passage
in the original author: he found it, and inserted the book and line in
their proper place. His master did not suffer this to pass unobserved;
he hinted to him, that it was a pity a young man of his abilities
and knowledge should waste his time in the mere technical drudgery of
printing. "I should be glad now," continued the bookseller, "to employ
you as a corrector of the press, and to advance you, according to your
merits, in the world; _but_," glancing his eye at Forester's dress, "you
must give me leave to say, that some attention to outward appearance
is necessary in our business. Gentlemen call here, as you well know,
continually, and I like to have the people about me make a creditable
appearance. You have earned money since you have been with me--surely
you can afford yourself a decent suit of clothes and a cleaner shirt. I
beg your pardon for speaking so freely; but I really have a regard for
you, and wish to see you get forward in life."
FORESTER, A CORRECTOR OF THE PRESS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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