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Over the Teacups, by the Author of the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table [o.w. Holmes].
Over the Teacups by the Author of the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table - o.w. Holmes Author:Oliver Wendell Holmes General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1890 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: OVER THE TEACUPS. INTRODUCTION. This series of papers was begun in March, 1888. A single number was printed, when it was interrupted by the course of events, and not resumed until nearly two years later, in January, 1890. The plan of the series was not formed in my mind when I wrote the first number. In returning to my task I found that my original plan had shaped itself in the underground laboratory of my thought so that some changes had to be made in what I had written. As I proceeded, the slight story which formed a part of my programme developed itself without any need of much contrivance on my part. Given certain characters in a writer's conception, if they are real to him, as they ought to be, they will act in such or such a way, according to the law of their nature. It was pretty safe to assume that intimate relations would spring up between some members of our mixed company; and it was not rash to conjecture that some of these intimacies might end in such attachment as would furnish us hints, at least, of a love-story. As to the course of the conversations which would take place, Tery little could be guessed beforehand. Various subjects of interest would be likely to present themselves, without definite order, oftentimes abruptly and, as it would seem, capriciously. Conversation in such a mixed company as that of " The Teacups " is likely to be suggestive rather than exhaustive. Continuous discourse is better adapted to the lecture-room than to the tea-table. There is quite enough of it, -- I fear too much, -- in these pages. But the reader must take the reports of our talks as they were jot...« less