The Gentleman's magazine Author:John Nichols Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE. February 1878. ROY'S WIFE. BY G. J. WHVTE-MELVILLE. Chapter VI. SO LIKE A MAN ! STORM and calm, rain and sunshine, b... more »itter and sweet, action and reaction, are not these the conditions of life ? If the wind is fair to-day, look for it in your teeth to-morrow; what is earned by the right hand, you are bound to spend with the left; and never expect to be four-by-honours in two deals running ! Who so happy as an accepted lover ? He treads on air, he mounts to the skies, and he soars on the wings of a dove, believing firmly that he has abjured the wisdom of the serpent for evermore. Yet, after the first access of transport, every succeeding moment brings him down nearer and nearer the ground, till at last he walks about again on two legs, like a husband, or a goose, or any other biped, having neither energy nor inclination to fly. I need not say that John Roy bade adieu to Beachmouth, betook himself to Charing Cross Station, and proceeded thence to the Comer Hotel, Corner Street, Strand, without loss of time. The distance was short. He could almost have wished it longer, that he might gain more time to realise the step he had taken. Like most English gentlemen, he was a bold fellow enough on a horse, in a row, under any circumstances of risk to life or limb, but he was also sensitive and shy, particularly with inferiors, shrinking from their approaches, as a timid woman shrinks from observation and personal address. It was not reassuring to find the hotel door blocked up by an Vol. Ccxlii. No. 1766. K arrival, or to be told without hesitation by a supercilious waiter in yesterday's white neckcloth that they were full to the garrets, and hadn't a bed unoccupied, while he volunteered with something of reproof the further infor...« less