What Will He Do with It? — Volume 03Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
General
What Will He Do with It? — Volume 03
Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
English fiction -- 19th century
and Judge Edwards. It was to be called Inquiry into the Law of
Affinities, by Philomopsos: when, unluckily for my treatise, I arrived at
the knowledge of a fact which, though it did not render the treatise less
curious, knocked on the head the theory upon which it was based. The
baptismal name of the old soldier, Mop's first proprietor and earliest
preceptor, was Isaac; and his master being called in the homely household
by that Christian name, the sound had entered into Mop's youngest and
most endeared associations. His canine affections had done much towards
ripening his scholastic education. "Where is Isaac?" "Call Isaac!"
"Fetch Isaac his hat," etc. Stilled was that name when the old soldier
died; but when heard again, Mop's heart was moved, and in missing the old
master, he felt more at home with the new. As for the title, "Sir," it
was a mere expletive in his ears. Such was the fact, and such the
deduction to be drawn from it. Not that it will satisfy every one. I
know that philosophers who deny all that they have not witnessed, and
refuse to witness what they resolve to deny, will reject the story in
toto; and will prove, by reference to their own dogs, that a dog never
recognizes the name of his master,--never yet could be taught arithmetic.
I know also that there are Mystics who will prefer to believe that Mop
was in direct spiritual communication with unseen Isaacs, or in a state
of clairvoyance, or under the influence of the odic fluid. But did we
ever yet find in human reason a question with only one side to it? Is
not truth a polygon? Have not sages arisen in our day to deny even the
principle of gravity, for which we bad been so long contentedly taking
the word of the great Sir Isaac? It is that blessed spirit of
controversy which keeps the world going; and it is that which, perhaps,
explains why Mr. Waife, when his memory was fairly put to it, could
remember, out of the history of the myriads who have occupied our planet
from the date of Adam to that in which I now write, so very few men whom
the world will agree to call wise, and out of that very few so scant a
percentage with names sufficiently known to make them more popularly
significant of pre-eminent sagacity than if they had been called--Mops.
CHAPTER VI.
The vagrant having got his dog, proceeds to hunt fortune with it,
leaving behind him a trap to catch rats.--What the trap does catch
is "just like his luck."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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