"
"And you told him?"
"Yees, sir, I told 'im I'd 'ad a few, and 'e said it served me right, and
that 'e 'oped it would be a warning to me. And then 'e put something
fizzy in a glass and told me to drink it."
"And you drank it?"
"Yees, sir."
"It never occurred to you, Jimmy, that there was nothing the matter with
you--that you were never feeling better in your life, and that you did
not require any medicine?"
"No, sir."
"Did one single scintilla of thought of any kind occur to you in
connection with the matter, Jimmy, from beginning to end?"
"No, sir."
People who never met Jimmy disbelieve this story. They argue that its
premises are in disaccord with the known laws governing human nature,
that its details do not square with the average of probability. People
who have seen and conversed with Jimmy accept it with simple faith.
The advent of Jephson--which I trust the reader has not entirely
forgotten--cheered us up considerably. Jephson was always at his best
when all other things were at their worst. It was not that he struggled
in Mark Tapley fashion to appear most cheerful when most depressed; it
was that petty misfortunes and mishaps genuinely amused and inspirited
him. Most of us can recall our unpleasant experiences with amused
affection; Jephson possessed the robuster philosophy that enabled him to
enjoy his during their actual progress.
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