"Myself when young did eagerly" annex Ivtters of introduction, letters which described my callow personality in such flattering terms and rose to such heights of eulogy that the perpetrators, despite my blushes could not be withheld from veading them to me to show me, rot so much what a fine sort I was as what a superior epistle they could indite. I wish IT had saved some of those letters. I wish I could read them to you to prove how rare a character is sojourning in your midst.
But I delivered them to their addressees and then waited for the keys of the city -to be conferred upon me, or several receptions given in my honour. It was finally brought home to me that no one else in the triangle had taken the letters as seriously as I had. T could not understand it at the time, but now, since receiving a number of these enthusiastic endorsements of other unique souls, T sympathize ith those who didn't rush to instal) me in their guest rooms or on the host's right hand at dinners.
Tha average person has no more conscience about wishing a hopeless freak of an acquaintance upon some unoffending friend than he has about bestowing a number.one recommendation upon a servant who may take revenge if truthfully described. An incubus of an acquaintance is passed along as rapidly "as a plugged dollar, anything to get rid of it.
Clearly something should be done to stabilize this social clearing house and to enable us to shelve bores tactfully without wishing them on the unfortunate friend who is enough of an easy mark not to retaliate. A cipher code might be introduced whereby the good old phrases such as "one of the best fellows I know," '"'sure. you will find a host of common interests," "delighted to have two of my best friends meet each other" and the like might he interpreted "thorough going bore" "sure to despise each-other" "can think of nothing that would punish cither of you more effectively." But such a cipher could not be kept secret long, and think of our feelings at finding ourselves slated in a candid interpretation. No, that will hardly serve. Nor will an interlinear inscription in one of those patent mystery inks which is only discerned when held to the fire or treated chemically, Lecause that secret, too, would soon be common property.
The only thing that occurs to me at this moment is to write two letters, one to be presented by the social bandit who has held you up:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.